The Shallow Bay
by InvictusRex
Summary: A new player steps into the City of the Dead, and things will never be the same. How will the Lagoon company fare in the suddenly stormy waters? M for Language and Violence, Revy/Rock I do not own Black Lagoon or any of its Characters
1. New Kid on the Block

The van hit a bump. Looking out the window of the vehicle at the bridge they were crossing, he spotted a noose hanging from the supports. He smiled, it might be him hanging from those gallows when he was through. He looked down at the mask in his hands, the face that had struck fear into the hearts of his victims. It was such a simple thing, just a gas mask he got from a military surplus store. But it was his face, at least the face he wore on the job. Pulling the straps over his head, he slipped the mask down over his face, letting the filtered air enter his lungs. He readied his rifle, pulling back the bolt.

"You ready, Husky?" He asked, smirking slightly under the mask.

His sniper simply nodded, checking his AWP for the 20th time on their trip from the staging area. "Comms check!" he said. The occupants of the van checked their earpieces.

"Our objective is a shipment coming in at the docks. We are to keep that shipment from reaching its destination. Preferably, keep it from getting off the ship in the first place. Let's try for no casualties on this one, we don't know what we're up against and it's better not to kick the hornet's nest till you have the spray. So, we go in, take out the package, and get out. Engage only if absolutely necessary."

"Sir!" The men under his command responded.

"Is this gonna be worth it, Grouse?" Husky asked him, before pulling down his own balaclava.

"If all my planning pays off, we should be able to make a difference in this sorry world." Grouse said, his voice slightly altered by the mask.

"Sir, we have visual on the target" The driver said, as they pulled up onto the docks. Grouse had seen some things in his day, but a Torpedo boat making deliveries was a new experience for him. He smiled, his eyes going dead as the familiar anticipation started to flow through him. It was going to be a hell of a night.

"What the fuck, Rock?" Revy said, startling her partner.

"What? What's wrong?" Rock asked, scratching the back of his head.

"When Dutch counted the crates there were 25. I only see 24, dumbass."

"I was just moving them. I brought up every crate in the hold. I double checked!"

"Obviously not well enough 'cause there's one missing!"

Dutch looked on as Revy and Rock continued to argue. His sunglasses glinted in the light of the city as he turned to face Benny.

"You gonna tell them you had the valuables crate in your bunk?" Benny asked, a cigarette dangling from his mouth.

"Nah," Dutch said, "It's kinda fun watchin' them argue. Especially now we know she won't have a bullet in his ass at the end of it. It's actually becoming kinda interesting. Especially when she gets to the point where she'd kill anyone else. I wonder if…"

He was interrupted by the gunshot that rang out, silencing both him and the arguing Revy and Rock. A second gunshot rang out, forcing all four members of the Lagoon Company to take cover. Revy smiled, pulling out her cutlasses and making sure they were cocked and ready.

"You see where the shot came from Rocky baby?" Revy said, a wicked look present in her eye that Rock was sure he'd never get used to.

"It came from one of the shipping containers over there. What's your angle?"

"Well, it's a sniper, so I can't do jack shit without hangin' my ass out for him to shoot. I say we hold out, and Dutch'll be firing back with the rifle. We've just gotta sit tight."

"I believe that course of action will be unavailable." Came a voice from behind her. "I've called off my sniper. Why don't you come on out, so we can get properly acquainted?"

Revy growled, standing up to face her opponent. Pointing both Cutlasses at her adversary, she raised a brow at his appearance. He wore a Czech M101 model gas mask, and what appeared to be a black coat over a bulletproof vest.

_How the fuck is he not sweating to death?_ Revy thought to herself. "I'm Two-Hands, asshole. Now you want to explain why you're messin' with our shit?"

"Nice to meet you, Two-Hands. It's unfortunate, but I can't allow you to bring that shipment of drugs to Mr. Chang. Now, I'd rather do this without confrontation, so if you please, hand over your shipment."

"As much as I'd like to avoid getting shot at, we just can't do that. We've got a client, and we ain't about to lose our paycheck." Dutch said.

"I'll assume you're the one in charge. I'm Grouse, and we can exchange further pleasantries later. I assure you you'll be fully compensated for the lost goods. We just can't let them get to Chang." Grouse said.

"That's very generous. I have to ask, why keep the drugs from going to Chang? Why even do this in the first place?"

"Like I said, we'll deal with pleasantries later." Grouse said. "Now, we gonna do this smoothly, or am I going to have to fight a woman?"

Revy growled, bursting out as loud as she could "AND WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH THAT, ASSWIPE?! YOU THINK I'M TOO WEAK FOR YA?!" she yelled, once again pointing her guns at the mysterious man.

"No, I just wasn't looking forward to it. It's a complicated thing. I doubt it'd be a fair fight…"

He was cut off from a barrage of 9mm fire. Several of Revy's bullets hit Grouse's arms and legs, and one hit him in the chest. He sunk to one knee, bringing his arm to his chest.

"Like I said," Grouse complained. "Hardly fair."

Amazing the onlookers, Grouse stood, grabbing a pair of Berretta 93R machine pistols from under his tattered coat.

"Well then, let's see how you like a taste of these!" Grouse yelled as he opened fire back on Revy. She took cover behind the crates once more, swapping out her mags and grunting under her breath.

"Full-body armor. Fuckin' ridiculous." When she came up to fire again, Grouse was gone. She turned her head, only having a split second before his punch connected.

Knocked to the ground and stunned by the sudden attack, Revy stood, facing her attacker.

"Thought you didn't fight women." She spat at him.

"Nah. I just don't like doing it." Grouse said, reloading his guns. "Not as much satisfaction, knowing that one of us is going to have the upper hand, no matter what. I prefer the uncertain possibility of being evenly matched. With women, you know that you'll either beat them, or they'll beat you. Simple as that."

Grouse finished his explanation with another bout of gunfire, prompting Revy to do the same, running to the right to dodge his fire. Even more bullets hit his body, but the assailant didn't move, simply wincing once his magazines were empty.

_I've gotta end this quickly_… He thought. He noticed that his opponent's back was up against the wall. Smiling under his mask. Quickly replacing his mags, he tested his legs. He could still run. _Good._ He thought. _I'm gonna give this bitch a piece of my mind._

Grouse broke into a full sprint, growling loudly as he raised his arms, firing his pistols wildly at his enemy. Revy brought her arms close to avoid being hit by his wild spray. She was confused by his foolhardy tactic. So much that she couldn't move even with him barreling at her like a train. When his mags were empty he simply threw the guns aside and kept running. This snapped her out of it, and she returned fire, a little too late.

His shoulder plowed into her ribcage, knocking the wind out of her lungs and the Cutlasses out of her hands. She was too shocked to even react. She still had that smug look on her face as she fell to her knees, clutching her sides. Grouse panted, his hands on his knees.

"The fuck are you?" Revy breathed. "Some kinda fuckin' rhinoceros?"

Revy stood back up, fists at the ready. She felt a rush of air go by her head as the blade pierced the shipping container. It had come out of nowhere, and she was pretty sure he didn't have a sheath that long under the coat. Out of breath and shocked, Revy put her hands down.

"Are we done here?" Grouse asked, removing his blade from the metal and slumping against the container next to his opponent. He began to pick the bullets out of his armor, small amounts of blood leaking out of the holes.

"Revy!" Rock yelled, running towards the two combatants. Upon reaching his partner, the businessman was quickly shaken off as the gunslinger rose to her feet.

"I'm fine dumbass. Just knocked the wind out of me." Revy said. "You should see the other guy…"

"For once that's not an exaggeration." Grouse said, getting to his feet. Bringing his hand to his ear, he spoke calmly into his earpiece. "Hey, get the kit ready. I need a patch job."

The voice that responded did not belong to any of his men, nor anyone he had ever met. It was a very quiet, soothing, woman's voice, and by the faint accent he could tell exactly who it was.

"I'm terribly sorry to report that your men are not able to come to your aid right now." The voice said. "You will simply have to tough out your injuries for the time being."

"Fair enough. Ms. Balalaika, I presume?" Grouse responded.

"Dah. The very fact that you know my name and still had the guts to attack one of my friends intrigues me. That is the only reason you and your men are still alive. What are you doing in our little town?"

"Well to be honest I had no idea I'd attract your attention so quickly, otherwise I'd have attacked something bigger than a drug shipment. I apologize for causing your friends trouble. If we can talk, I will not bother them and they are free to complete their job."

"What would we be talking about?" Balalaika asked, curiosity in her tone.

"War." Grouse said, waiting for her response. "Have I piqued your interest?"

While Grouse spoke to Balalaika, Rock and Revy sized up their mysterious foe, who was paying little mind to them now.

"Who is this guy?" Rock asked.

"Hell if I know," Revy said. "But he's got some fucking balls, I'll tell you that much. I gotta work on my defense. That ain't something I want happening again. I don't think I've ever seen someone that can just shrug off getting shot. I'm not even sure if this fucker's human."

She winced in pain, bringing a hand to her stomach. Rock was immediately there to support her, only to be shrugged off again.

"I'm fine, Jesus. I think he might've bruised something." She said, picking up her guns and placing them back in their holsters. "Come on, no matter what, we've got a shipment to make. This guy tries anything, I bet sis'll have his head blown off in seconds."

Rock just nodded, looking back at the mysterious armored man once more. This time, he found that Grouse was off the comm, and waving to them.

"Sorry for the trouble! Catch me later and the first round is on me!" He shouted.

Revy stuck her arm up and uncurled her middle finger in response.

Grouse shook his head, returning to his camp where the Kapitan was waiting.


	2. Never Gonna Drink Again

_Ballroom scene, but the fire underneath, gonna eat you alive, gonna bring you to your knees, AH!_

The sound of the alarm clock followed by a gunshot made sure Revy was wide awake, and with a colossal hangover pounding at her skull. The song's lyrics didn't help, as it seemed to parallel her situation.

_Went out drinking late last night I had a blast_

_But now the morning light has come and kicked my ass._

Revy made a mental note to shoot Rock for picking this song. It was getting on her nerves.

_I've got the worst hangover ever,_

_I'm crawling to the bathroom again_

Revy swung her legs out of the bed, wincing as both her hangover and the bruise from last night brought her a fresh wave of pain. She stood shakily, walking to the bathroom.

_It hurts so bad I'm never gonna drink again._

_Yeah right,_ Revy thought, splashing the cold water on her face to wake herself up. She heard the knock on the door and cracked her back before answering. Rock stood, completely fresh and in his usual shirt and tie, last night's drinking showed no effect on him.

"How are you feeling?" He asked. Revy grunted, her eyes lowering to the paper bag in his right hand. He offered it to her, and inside she found a breakfast sandwich from one of the shops nearby. She wasn't really that hungry, but Rock had gotten into a sort of routine. He'd come wake her up for work, and he'd bring breakfast.

"One of these day I might still be drunk and end up shooting you." She said, examining the sandwich. It was a simple ham and cheese melt. _He probably way overpaid for it considering he couldn't haggle worth shit._ She thought. _This city is going to take advantage of him until the day he dies._ Being hungover was bringing out her sour outlook.

"I'll try to remember that." Rock said, smirking.

"Thanks anyway," She said, grabbing her guns and walking out the door. Squinting from the brightness outside, Revy followed Rock to the car, complaining about the sunlight all the way to the office.

Rock was a bit annoyed that he had to be the one to drag a pissed and hungover Revy to work every morning, but he wasn't going to complain. He would just try to help her get over it.

"Aspirin?" He offered, and she took it without hesitation, downing the pills without any water.

_Fuck, why is he being so nic...?_ She thought, as Rock slammed on the brakes.

"What the fuck, asshole?" Revy barked, clutching her head. "Did the fact I have a fucking hangover slip your mind!?"

"This guy walked out in the middle of the street, what was I supposed to do, run him over?"

"Fucking YES!" She screamed, as the man, curiously dressed in black, continued walking down the way.

Revy climbed out of the car window.

"Hey Jackass! Next time you cross the street without looking you can bet your ass you'll be a fucking pancake!"

The man turned, bringing his hand to the back of his neck and smiling.

"That sounds like fun!" He said. "I'll see you later!"

Revy blinked, confused, and decided to ignore the event in favor of sitting back down and clutching her head as another wave of pain settled in.

Whatever relief the aspirin brought was quickly ended as the pair walked into the Lagoon office. They were greeted by the masked man from the night before, who was reclining on the couch with his feet on the table. Grouse was paging through one of Dutch's magazines, his eyes disinterestedly moving from one picture to another.

Upon seeing the fuming Revy and the confused Rock enter the office, Grouse leapt up, greeting them as if they were friends. Interestingly enough, his coat and most of his armor was gone, the only thing left was the bulletproof vest.

"Hey you two!" Grouse said, completely ignoring Revy's obvious anger. "I was wondering when you would get here. Dutch is in his office talking with Balalaika."

Rock was a little put-off by the man's sudden friendly conduct. The night before he seemed so cold and withdrawn, even for a mercenary. Not to mention he was a little scared of what Revy would do.

"Listen," Grouse said. "I'd like to apologize for last night. I just wanted to disrupt the peace a little bit to get Balalaika's attention. It was nothing personal, hell it wasn't even business, really. No hard feelings?"

"LIKE HELL THERE'S NO HARD FEELINGS YOU PUCKERED ASSHOLE IT'S FUCKING HARD TO BREATHE THANKS TO YOU" Revy yelled in his face.

"YOU'RE FUCKING ONE TO TALK I HAD TO PICK 17 DIFFERENT BULLETS OUT OF MY FLESH" Grouse yelled back.

As they continued to argue, Rock sank into his chair and cracked open a beer, finally allowing himself to relax a bit.

Balalaika and Boris walked out of the office, followed by Dutch. Grouse stopped arguing with Revy to listen to what they had to say.

"Well," Dutch started. "This is one crazy-ass plan. But Balalaika supports it, and you might be able to pull it off. I'm in. The Lagoon Company is at your service."

"Thank you, Dutch." Grouse said, crossing his arms and standing next to the leaders.

"BENNY GET YOUR ASS IN HERE, THIS FUCKER'S HIRED US APPARENTLY!" Revy screamed.

"Geez, what's with all the yelling? First about gunshots now this? What, is the fuckin' maid back?" Benny said, scratching his head as he peered out of the computer room. "Oh hey, it's gas mask guy! Why did you shoot at us again?"

"I was getting to that now, actually," Grouse said, moving to one side of the room where he could address the whole group. "So, I heard about this city a while ago, and about how profitable the various clandestine trades were. So, I naturally wanted a piece of the action. But, I did some research, and I found that if I didn't play my cards right, I'd end up dead. The only way I would get out of this profitably was by allying with one of the major powers in Roanapur."

"That's where I come in." Balalaika interjected. "His business proposal was very intriguing to say the least. I'm looking forward to it, in fact. So tell them Mr. Grouse, what your plan is for our little city."

"War." Grouse said, a smile underneath his mask. "Total war. The complete annihilation of every other criminal organization in Roanapur."

The cigarette dropped out of Benny's wide open mouth. Revy and Rock had similar reactions, but Rock quickly snapped out of it, looking down at the floor and trying to reason everything out.

"The entire city will become the territory of Hotel Moscow. It will triple their profits, sans 5% for me and mine. This city will belong to one group and one group only. It will provide an end to the ceaseless back and forth tension that the city has been feeling since the main groups arrived here. No one has really gained any ground, and time and money have been lost fighting each other."

"How do you know so much about this city?" Revy asked. "You just got here."

"That's true, but it's not that different from New York, a city I am very familiar with."

Revy tensed upon hearing the name of the city in which she spent the first part of her life. Images of blood and feathers flashed through her mind, sending a chill through the otherwise bravado-filled gunslinger. This rare moment of panic wasn't unobserved, and Rock was curious and concerned for his partner. He'd never admit it out loud, (At least not when she was in the room) but he had come to care for Revy in the nearly two years they had been working together. Lighting up a cigarette and tuning back to Grouse, Rock pondered the mechanics of this plan. After taking a long drag, he spoke up.

"What about the families and syndicates that the local groups in Roanapur are connected to?" Rock asked, blowing out the smoke. "Aren't they going to be angry about losing all their territory here?"

"Glad you mentioned it." Grouse said. "As far as we care, they can attack the Russian higher-ups as much as they want. Technically I'm on Balalaika's payroll, so any grievances I rack up will go through to Moscow as well. "

"What about Chang?" Revy asked. "He's not going to roll over and let us take his fuckin' cookie jar."

"We're working on that." Balalaika said. "He's currently away on business, so we have a window where we can begin working."

"We'll start the party tomorrow at dusk. Is there anyone else in this town that we should talk to before shit hits the fan?" Grouse asked, placing his hands on his hips.

"Yeah, the Rip-Off church. They'd probably like to know when shits gonna go down." Dutch said. "You know where that is?" Grouse shook his head in reply. "Revy, Rock, why don't you take our client down there."

Revy groaned and Rock nodded. The partners escorted their mysterious and strangely upbeat client to the car. Before getting in, Grouse managed to whisper to Rock, surprisingly in Japanese.

("I need to speak with you in private later. Will you meet with me? Leave Revy here.")

Rock was surprised, but he nodded. Grouse gave him a thumbs up and hopped into the backseat of the GTO.

"What kinda songs are on the radio here?"

"All the good ones." Revy said, switching it to her favorite station.

"Oh I know this one!" Grouse said.

The lyrics of the song were about a guy who wanted his girlfriend to be a bad girl.

_I want you, all tattooed_

_I want you bad_

_Complicated, X-Rated_

_I want you bad, bad, bad, bad, bad!_

The three of them enjoyed the song down the way to the church. Revy seemed to be starting to forgive the newcomer for the events of the night before. Rock was still a bit uneasy around him, strangely because he was likeable. Rock had met a lot of people in his line of work, none of them had that demeanor. He might be wrong, but it seemed as if this man wasn't dead inside. A while ago, Rock would be happy to see someone like that in Roanapur, but now it made him feel like Grouse was hiding behind more than his mask.

"Is that the church?" Grouse asked, referring to the obvious church building in front of them.

"Nah, that's the whorehouse. Of course that's the fuckin' church!"

"A yes would have been just fine, Revy." Grouse said.

Knocking on the door, Revy was greeted by a blonde woman wearing sunglasses, a pink cut-off top, at least a size too small, and _very_ short shorts.

"We're closed, slut." The woman said, and Grouse visibly tensed.

"I'm not here for guns, bitch. We've got some info you might want, Eda." Revy said, crossing her arms.

Eda's eyes drifted back to Revy's companions. "I see you've managed to hang on to Mr. Businessman. Who's the guy in the mask?"

"Our new client. He said he wanted to let you know something." Revy said, motioning for Grouse to come forward.

He did so, "Hotel Moscow is going to be undertaking some aggressive expansion. You would be wise not to get in their way." He said. Eda, lowered her sunglasses. She couldn't really tell that much about the guy, but she could tell he was American, and he had some degree of military training. She was concerned by this new kid, and she'd have to let the higher-ups know there was a new player in the city of the dead.

"Thanks for the heads up. I'll try to stay out of Fry-Face's crosshairs." Eda said. "Now, is that all for the night?"

"Yeah," Revy said, "Going to the Yellow Flag later? This asshole says he's buying." Revy lightly smacked the back of Grouse's head. He sheepishly confirmed as he rubbed the area.

"In that case I hope you're fuckin' prepared my friend." Eda said. "Cause' you might need some fuckin' charity by the time I'm done with you."

"Revy neglected to include that I said _first round _was on me. The rest depends on how the night goes."

"That a challenge?" Eda asked.

"We better get going." Revy said. "Dutch'll want us back soon."

"Leaving so soon?" Eda asked, disappointed. "Rocky, if you ever get tired of this basket case, you know where to find me. And you, mystery man, I'll be keeping an eye on you."

Eda mimed a gun with her fingers and shot it at the mercenary. Hopefully his mask concealed his massive eye roll. The three returned to the car, Revy obviously put on edge by Eda.

"That fuckin' bitch. Every time we go to talk to her I always feel like I'm gonna fuckin' FUCK"

"She normally get like this?" Grouse asked from the back.

"No, today is a good day."

"Son of a… FUCK" Revy continued, all the way back to Lagoon's office.

"So, where's the bar in this town?" Grouse asked.

"The Yellow Flag. It's not the best place, but it's all we have." Rock said.

"The booze is good, and there's gunfights pretty often. I can't fuckin' complain." Revy said, stretching out in the seat. "You're still buyin' right? I'm gonna be pretty pissed if that was an empty promise."

"Like I said before, first round, that's it." Grouse said, adjusting his mask.

"How the hell are you gonna drink in that thing?" Revy asked. "And what do you even drink?"

"There's a straw, and I drink Rum and Coke. They have coke there right? The soda?" Grouse asked.

"Nope. They got Bacardi, though. A whole fuckload of it, too."

"That'll have to do," Grouse said, "One other thing before head over there, is there anywhere I can get my guns looked at? When we were fighting, I noticed they were pretty shitty compared to yours. Anywhere I could get them modified?"

"Yeah, Paraiyachat. He fixed up my boys, He'll treat you good, as long as you got cash. You do have cash, right?"

Grouse pulled a wad of bills from his coat, holding it up. "Think this'll cover it?"

Upon further inspection, the two pirates were amazed to see the mercenary holding up a wad of $100 dollar American bills.

"Jesus, you carry that much with you?" Revy asked.

"Not normally, I was bettin' I'd find a gunsmith tonight, so I figured I better come prepared."

Rock pulled the GTO up in front of Paraiyachat's shop. Grouse exited, placing the bills back in his coat pocket. Revy didn't know what it was about the mercenary, but he made her uneasy. She didn't know the slightest thing about him, but he was so open and familiar. It rubbed her wrong, and she made up her mind to get some answers out of him, maybe even get him to take off that stupid fucking mask.

"Revy! How your cutlasses holding up, Two-Hands?" The old man greeted.

"The boys are as good as ever, haven't needed a tuneup for nearly a month. I got a new customer for ya, you wanna take a look at his guns? He says he needs them modded."

Grouse placed his Berretta 93R machine pistols on the counter. Paraiyachat examined them, commenting on their make and design.

"I need them to be more accurate. I couldn't his shit at long range, and I need them made ready for sea combat. How much for an express job?" Grouse said, placing his hands on the counter.

"93's are tricky. I'll need to and at least an inch to the barrel to give you the accuracy you want, and for an express job it's about a week and $9,500."

Grouse threw the stack of money on the counter, "Do some tribal detailing on the sides of the slide and barrel, too. See you in a week." He said, leaving the shop, followed by the bewildered pirates.

"I hope that wasn't the money you were gonna buy our drinks with, asshole" Revy said, slamming the car door.

"Nah. I've got some more. Don't worry, you can still get drunk." Grouse said.

"Oh yeah, I'm interested in seeing how much you can stand. Think you'd be up to a little contest?"

"Oh yeah, and what are the stakes?" Grouse asked, clearly unaware of what he was getting into.

"You lose, you take off your mask. You win, you get whatever the fuck you want. You've got your sights on this whole fuckin' city, I don't think there's anything I can give that'll come close to what you're gonna have at the end of this, if you live."

"You're on. Guess I'm buyin' more than just the first round."

Rock rolled his eyes. Poor sap'll be brain damaged before he beats Revy.


	3. Blood on My Hands

Six shots down. The gunslinger was beginning to falter. She rather shakily brought the next shot to her lips, downing the Bacardi and wiping what was left from her lips. Grouse, who had long since found that drinking alcohol through his mask's drinking tube was a terrible idea, lifted his mask to down his seventh. He shakily brought the mask back down, swaying slightly. Revy took her next shot, grinning. Standing up, albeit shakily, Grouse turned to his opponent.

"Fuck youuuuuuuu…." He said, before he fell flat on his back, passed out cold. The bar patrons cheered, as they all had begun to observe the contest between Two-Hands and the outsider. Revy laughed, downing another shot in celebration before she passed out herself. Rock shook his head as he motioned for Dutch and Benny to help him collect his partner and their client. Rock didn't look it, but he had become quite strong since he started this life, he picked up his partner from the floor, carrying her out to the car. Dutch and Benny deposited the mercenary in the back seat, sweating noticeably.

"Why the fuck's he gotta wear that armor everywhere?" Dutch asked,

"It's like carrying a fuckin' weight set." Benny said.

Rock put Revy in the front seat, strapping her in. He took a moment to admire how peaceful she looked when she slept, even when it was a drunken stupor. He'd do anything for her, she was the one who gave him purpose. The gun to his bullet. Getting in the driver's seat and saying goodbye to Benny and Dutch, Rock drove towards Revy's apartment. In the backseat, Grouse was having a nightmare.

_The girl just stood there. The gun in her hand was still smoking. Feathers floated around. Why was it always feathers? The blood covered every inch of the floor. Two corpses stuck out of the red liquid, the girl did not pay any mind. She just stared forward with blank, dead eyes. Pulling back the slide of the pistol, checking to see if there was another round chambered, a smile slowly crept onto the girl's lips. Even with a grin from ear to ear, her eyes were still the same. Still dead._

Grouse bolted up in the GTO's backseat, gripping his head. Rock was startled by the sudden action, swerving into oncoming traffic. After dodging a car and getting back into their own lane, Rock berated Grouse for startling him.

"Your partner, what's her full name?" Grouse asked. Rock was confused.

"I don't know her last name," Rock said. "But I know her name is Rebecca."

Grouse nodded. "I guess now would be a good time to have that talk. Where can we speak without any fear of anyone listening in?"

Rock took them back to his apartment.

Revy woke up in the morning, her head pounding, just like the previous day. The alarm clock didn't help, and she turned it off by grabbing it, yanking out the power cord. Unfortunately, the action caused her to fall halfway out of bed, and she got up, grumbling. Stretching, she went to the shower. Immediately after, she heard Rock at the door. He was a little late, but she didn't mind. She opened the door to find the masked mercenary there in his place. To be honest, she was a little disappointed, but the look in his eyes suggested there was something very wrong.

Revy looked down, realizing she was only wearing her panties and a towel draped across her shoulders. Normally Rock didn't have any problems, but this guy seemed uncomfortable with her state of dress.

"What? You got something to say?" Revy asked him, placing a hand on her hip.

Grouse regained his composure. "I made a deal with you. But before I show you who I am, I have to ask you something. What is your full name?"

Revy's eyes widened in shock. No one had ever asked her that before. She had just been Revy for a long time now. She was nervous, and she didn't know what to do. She decided to just tell him, just to see what would happen.

"My name's Rebecca Li. Who's askin'?" She said.

Grouse tensed up. He entered her apartment, forcing her to back up. He closed the door behind him, and slumped down against it. He brought his knees close to his chest, resting one arm over the top.

"So that's what happened." Grouse said, reaching to the back of his head to get at the straps of the gas mask. Loosening it, he continued to talk.

"I knew a girl from New York. I ran into her on Mott Street. She mugged me, but I think I surprised her. I came back the next day, and bought her lunch. I don't know what happened to that girl, but I read in the Times the next day there'd been a multiple homicide." He said, beginning to remove the mask. "I thought to myself, nothing special, this is New York after all. But then I read the crime was carried out by a 17-year old Chinese girl from Mott Street."

Revy raised her cutlass at the ghost she saw before her.

"You still got my wallet?" He asked, a smirk creeping across his face.

Rock climbed up the stairs to Revy's apartment. Considering he hadn't heard any gunshots, either Grouse hadn't gotten there, or Revy took the revelation well, something he wasn't counting on. He was surprised when Revy greeted him in the hall, followed by a maskless Grouse. To be honest, the mercenary's face caught him by surprise. There were a few scars, but it wasn't anything like Rock would have guessed.

Shaggy black hair framed an angular face, rather unshaven, with a straight nose and a big, smiling mouth. His eyes were dark brown, so dark it looked like he had no irises at all. Other than his generally ungroomed appearance, he didn't look like he belonged in Roanapur. So what was he doing here?

Grouse pulled a pair of blue reflective sunglasses from his coat pocket, placing them on the end of his nose and pushing them up.

"Hey Rock n' Roll! You got a dumb look on your face, not expecting me to look like this?" Grouse said, "Come on, let's get down to the office. We got preppin' to do!"

Revy scowled at him from behind, and Rock inquired about what they talked about.

"Save it, partner." Revy cut him off, "Let's just say a blast from the past's about to cause a complete shitstorm in Roanapur."

"Who is he, though?" Rock asked.

"Hey! You mind if I drive?" Grouse called from the car. Rock shrugged, and Grouse climbed into the driver's seat.

"He's an old friend. Someone I'd never expected to see here in the land of the dead. Let's leave it at that."

Rock pondered what the relationship between his partner and the mercenary could have been. She knew him from New York; that much was clear to him. He decided to keep an eye on Grouse in order to figure it out as events unfolded.

"You know you guys, I think we're going to hit the Colombians first." Grouse said. "They ain't the lowest on the food chain, but they're a nice place to start. Be ready by 6:00, you okay with that, Revy?"

"Sure, whatever the fuck you say. Why did you even come here anyway?" She asked, staring at him from the back.

"This place is full of crime and sin. I'm right at home here." Grouse said, his grin returning.

"Fuckin' hell. You've really changed, you know that?" Revy said. "Last time we crossed paths, you probably couldn't even hold a gun, could you?"

"We can talk about the past when the battle is over, and we're at the Flag. I don't know about you, but I need to keep myself focused. M'Kay, Becky?"

Revy tensed up. Rock had never seen anyone besides Eda get on her nerves that much. Sure she was short tempered, but pissing her off usually ended with a bullet, not silent seething.

The day went by, Dutch had Rock and Revy perform various errands while Grouse readied his men. Balalaika was enjoying the view from her office, imagining the skyline in the next few weeks. The smoke, the fire, the sounds and sights of war unfolding before her once again. All because of one very ambitious mercenary.

Boris notified her there was a call for her, and she was pleased to hear the voice of her employer/employee.

"We're all ready on my end. Your guys are half as good as I heard, we'll wipe out these guys and be done in time for dinner." Grouse said.

"Almost too easy. My Visitoniki will continue fighting to the last man. It'll almost be harder to clean up our mess than it will be to make it. This is a risky move, I will admit, so pull through for us, Mr. Grouse."

"No problem. You gonna join in, or sit back and watch the fireworks?" he asked.

The scarred Kapitan chuckled. "Not quite yet. The Colombians aren't worth my time, but rest assured, I'm not going to let you have all the fun. Happy Hunting."

Grouse hear the phone hit the hook, and he stood before a combined force of his men and Balalaika's. He didn't bother giving them a speech. He wasn't much good at them, and these guys already knew what they were doing. He raised his rifle, a modified M16 left over from Vietnam, the drum magazine and extended barrel almost blurring the line between assault rifle and LMG.

The attack began before Lagoon Company had even got there, and Dutch was in awe of the amount of destruction the mercs had done to Abrego's HQ in that amount of time. The entire front of the building had been decimated, it had more in common with Swiss cheese than it did a wall of concrete and wood.

The survivors of the initial barrage were firing back on the mixed group of soldiers. Grouse stood at the center of it, mask back on, wildly firing his M16 at the building, advancing slowly towards it. When the rifle finally ran out of ammunition, Grouse kneeled to reload, and the Colombians came back up and started firing at him again, as if on cue, Revy jumped off his back, rocketing towards the enemy, firing her Cutlasses wildly, decimating most of the enemy. Whatever was left, Grouse's men and the Visitoniki took care of.

"Good to see you, ready for a fun night?" Grouse asked.

"Damn straight." Revy said, pulling the slide of her Cutlass back. "Been to long since I got to kill somebody."

"Where's Rock?" Grouse asked. "He doesn't usually take part in these kinds of things."

Grouse shoved another drum into the M16, pulling the bolt and taking out a revolver with his left hand.

"Ladies first," Grouse said, an unseen smile creeping across his face.

Revy shot him a bird and proceeded into Abrego's building.

"Spread out!" Grouse ordered his men. "Kill anyone with a gun. Move out!"

The mercs obeyed, and soon the battle was heard throughout the district.

Going further into the compound, Revy and Grouse killed everyone in their way.

Abrego was shaking in his seat, his gun vibrating as he pointed it at the door.

"Who the fuck are those fuckers?" He yelled at Gustavo.

"I don't know, boss. I heard one guy speak Russian, though." The lieutenant replied.

"That Bitch'll pay for this…" He started, before the Mercenary kicked in the door, short bursts taking out everyone in the room except for the cartel boss.

"Hey, Abrego. It's been a while!" Grouse said, sitting in one of the chairs opposite from the shaking Colombian.

"We know each other, fucker?" he replied, regaining a bit of his confidence.

"Oh, you don't remember me? Maybe you remember the American you tortured and held for ransom? The one who got away, destroy a fifth of your fucking territory?"

Grouse stood, slamming Abrego's head down on the desk. The force made him drop his gun, clenching the area. Grouse unsheathed his folding sword, the blade springing out with the push of a button. Placing Abrego's hand on the desk, Grouse drove his sword through it. Abrego's screams got louder as Grouse pulled out a tanto and began cutting off the coward's fingers.

Pulling off the mask and making Abrego face him, Grouse showed the older man his dead eyes. "Remember me now pendejo?"

Rey finished clearing out rest of the building, moving to the office to check on Grouse. What she saw made her sick. In one of the chairs in front of the desk, surrounded by what used to be Abrego, Grouse sat, unmasked.

"What are you?" Revy asked, shaking.

Grouse turned to face her, a smile on his face and his eyes covered by his glasses.

"Whatever the fuck I wanna be, baby." He said, standing up and picking a piece of the crime boss off his coat. "I'd call that a victory."

Revy had only ever seen someone destroy someone else like that once. Only one person was capable of doing that, and it sure as hell wasn't this pussy.

"Hey!" Revy yelled, pinning the mercenary to a wall and sticking a cutlass in his face. "You're gonna tell me what the fuck happened to you, right now!"

"Why should I, Rebecca? Why should _I _tell _you_ anything?" Grouse said, his glasses reflecting Revy's anger back at her. "Let's just say I broke that day, more than seven years ago. What you're looking at is the best I could put the pieces back together."

He forced her off of him, straightening his coat, wiping a bit of blood of his chestplate. He took of his glasses, replacing them with the gas mask. Returning outside, he found his men had returned, having annihilated the Colombian forces. He raised his arms in the air, and his men cheered.

"To the Yellow Flag, boys! You've fuckin' earned it!" Grouse yelled. The men piled into their vehicles. Revy grudgingly followed the mercenary, her mind still processing how different he had become.

"_You gonna mug me again?" The older boy said, smiling. She couldn't see his eyes behind his sunglasses, but she knew his eyes were looking down at her arm, which was at her back to pull out her knife if necessary. "How about I do something a little different." He said, a smug smile on his face. "You look hungry. There anywhere good to eat around here?"_

"_I mug you and you're gonna buy me lunch? Think I'm a fuckin' idiot?" She said, scowling up at him._

"_I'd think I'm the idiot for coming back down here, let alone confronting the person who robbed me. I'm not from here, but that's pretty stupid everywhere." He said, putting his hands in his pockets and leaning up against a wall. "So, the $20 that was in there last you the night, or is it my treat?"_

_Rebecca wasn't the most trusting person, but this guy didn't give her any trouble before, and she could always run if he had backup. She stood down, leading him to a pizza shop a couple of blocks away._

Revy shook her head. It wasn't like her to dwell on the past. She lit up a cigarette, riding with Grouse to the bar. As they both got into the backseat, Revy talked to him.

"So, you've gotta be pretty fucked up to do that to someone on a whim," Revy said, taking a drag from her cigarette and exhaling the smoke. "You knew that sorry fucker?"

"Yeah. I ran afoul of him a long time ago. Wasn't as high up in the ranks, they had him as a torturer. I was one of the people who had the displeasure of his handiwork. I can tell you one thing, that motherfucker was an artist. Such a talented individual deserves a death worthy of his caliber."

"Well, you certainly gave him one to remember. Fuck, man. You use your sword?"

"A little bit."

Revy shook her head.

Husky, now taking the position of driver, picked up the car's phone. It had barely started ringing. He passed it back to his leader, who put his feet up on the back of the passenger seat.

Answering with a mock Indian accent, Grouse responded "You have reached the offices of Itzamna Solutions Mercenary Group, please give me a moment while I call my supervisor."

"Amusing, Mr. Grouse." Balalaika responded. "I take it the raid went well?"

"Wonderfully, Moya Ledi." Grouse replied, "Your forces were most helpful. I look forward to annihilating more enemies with you."

"Glad to hear it. Tomorrow I wish to meet with you, we have the matter of Mr. Chang and the Triad to discuss."

"Perfect, let's say 8 at the classiest restaurant in town. I have no idea where anything is so you'll have to send me the address. That work for you?"

Balalaika was surprised by his proposition, hiding it quickly as a sly smile appeared on her lips. "That will work. I will send you a car to pick you up, be sure to wear your best."

Balalaika hung up, and Grouse handed the phone back to Husky. Revy stared at him, her cigarette hanging out of her mouth. She couldn't believe the exchange that happened in front of her.

"Did you just set up a date with Sis?" She asked, gabbing the cigarette before it fell on her leg.

"Did I?" Grouse asked. "We're talking business, that's not a date, right?"

"It sounded like a date to me. Dude, I thought you were fucked up before, but _that_?" Revy said between drags. "Damn."

Grouse shrugged, resigning from the conversation and resting his head, letting his eyes close. He needed sleep, Abrego's payment had tired him out. He wondered if his new friend was able to process what he'd been told. Grouse hoped he could count on him.

Rock could barely process what the mercenary had told him. Was that what this was all really about? He could hardly believe it, but if it was true, it'd be easier to do what Grouse had asked him. He called up a few of the friends he had made across the city for info. Dutch walked into the room just as Rock hung up the phone, and tossed him a beer. Rock caught it, opening it and beginning to drink.

Dutch pushed his glasses further up his nose, leaning against the doorframe. "The raid on the Colombians went well. We won't be having any more work from Abrego, that's for damn sure. What do you think about all this, Rock? There's a lot of killing going on, you gonna try to step in and save people? Or are you gonna go all mastermind on us again?" Dutch left it at that, going into his office and closing the door.

Rock stared at his beer, thinking over what Dutch said. _What am I going to do?_ He asked himself. He wasn't any closer to making a decision when the phone rang. Picking it up, he answered with the normal:

"Lagoon Company"

"Rock, get Dutch and Benny and get your asses down to the Yellow Flag. We've got celebrating to do!" Revy answered. Rock acknowledged and replied they'd be on their way. Rock straightened his tie, looking at his reflection in the mirror. _Who am I now?_


	4. Definition of Insanity

At the Yellow Flag, Rock sat in between Revy and Grouse, who, not unlike Eda and Chang, oddly would not take his sunglasses off, even though it was nighttime.

"Rock n' Roll, have I ever told you the definition of insanity?" Grouse said, before downing a shot of Bacardi.

"Is it math?" Revy butted in.

"Shut up, this is something from Albert Einstein. So, insanity, is doing the same fucking shit over, and over, and over again, then wondering why shit doesn't change. There are all these people out there, all these crazy motherfuckers, who keep doing the same shit, over and over and over again. It's not even like normal life either. People in this city. Kill people get money, get money kill people. Or, there could be that one sorry motherfucker who's trying to save people, but falls on his ass every time. Why? He's been doing the same fucking shit he's always done. So, how do you stop? How do you get out? Do something different."

Revy rested her head in her arm and pretended to snore. "So that's what insanity is? What's it called when you're happy with doing the same thing?"

"Happiness." Grouse said, slightly confusing her. "There's nothing wrong with liking what you do enough to keep doing it, if you're fine with the result being the same every time. Just when you want something to change."

Revy and Grouse got into an argument, which Rock drowned out. He stared at his drink. He had been using the same tactics to try and make things work out for the best for the past two years, and nothing had changed. The twins, Yukio. He gripped his drink as he remembered the blade sliding into her neck. The only success he'd had was with Roberta and Garcia. That was because he dipped a little in the deep end. He'd started to give up who he was to save people. From what he could tell, it had worked. Was he insane, or was he going to do something new. He looked at his drink, downing it, and slamming it down on the counter. He turned to Revy, who was still yelling around him at Grouse, grabbed her by her shirt, and crushed his lips against hers.

The entire room went silent. Nearly everyone in the room stared at them, mouths agape. Grouse, however, simply poured himself another shot, downed it, and got up.

Breaking the kiss, Rock smirked. "Would you shut up, already?" he said, fixing her top before getting up himself. He walked towards the exit, loosening his tie until it was finally untied around his neck. He put his hands in his pockets, exiting the bar and leaving behind a still stunned Revy.

Before Revy could storm after him, a group of six Colombians entered, all brandishing weapons. Revy's hands instinctively went to her guns, but Grouse stopped her.

"Go make sure Romeo gets back to the office okay. I'll take care of these fine gentlemen." He said.

"What the hell?" Bao yelled. "Revy, I told you, no gunfights in the bar!"

"Not my fault this time, jackass!" Revy yelled back at him. "She made her way towards the side exit as Grouse drew his revolver. Spinning the cylinder, he grabbed a patron's shot, downed it, and tossed the glass up into the air.

In the time it took for the glass to hit the ground, Grouse pointed his gun, cocked the hammer, fired, moved the gun, fired again, and repeat until there were six bodies on the floor and all his chambers were empty. Blowing the smoke from the barrel, he reloaded and holstered the weapon.

The light glinted off his glasses as he turned to apologize for the disturbance, before stepping over the bodies and leaving.

Revy caught up to Rock in an alleyway, smashing him against the wall and holding him by his shirt collar.

"The fuck was that back there?" Revy growled at him. "You just think you can do that whenever? You gotta lot of fuckin' nerve, Rock."

"Yeah, I guess I do. Might be one of the reasons I'm still alive right now." Rock said calmly, grabbing Revy's hands and removing them from his collar. Revy's eyes widened with shock at his sudden move. This was something she had never seen him do before. He'd gotten like this, but he'd never made a move. What Grouse said must've really gotten to him.

Rock's hand went to his collar, and he loosened his tie, the fabric coming undone and hanging around his neck. Revy smiled.

"Well, Rocky Baby, you got my attention. Show me what you got, partner."

Grouse observed the scene unfolding before him from the rooftop, turning and leaving his friends alone. He wondered when his guns would be done. He was missing them already.

Back at the Lagoon office, Dutch, Benny, and Grouse's man, Husky, discussed their employer.

"So who the fuck is that guy anyway?" Dutch asked, readjusting his sunglasses.

"Well, He's a Mercenary." Husky replied. "Was that way when we first crossed paths. We were a spec-ops unit in the Gulf War. We ended up being expendable at the end of one of our missions. We were backed up against a cliff. The enemy was closing in, and we were running out of ammo. We couldn't hold them off for much longer, then that crazy motherfucker shows up at the top of the cliff, jumps off it, and lands in a pile of crates. He gets knocked out cold. Luckily for us, he was carrying enough M16 mags for us to keep fighting. He woke up eventually, and decided to give us an exit strategy. He walks out with his hands in the air, and these guys come out to take him. Lot of gunshots later, he comes back, armor all busted and bloody, says the coast is clear. After we got to an allied town, and got all our wounded patched up, he says he knows Command left us to die. He proposes we join him and be mercenaries. Some of the guys said no, but others…"

"Fighting's all you knew." Dutch said, blowing out smoke. "You joined him because there was no life for you back home, is that right?"

Husky nodded. Dutch scoffed, putting out the cigarette in the ashtray.

"Balalaika's men are the same. She led them in the Afghan war, and they decided to follow her even after. They became Mafia, you became mercenaries. One way or another, you got dragged down into the world of the night."

"What about you, Dutch?" Husky asked. "You look US Navy, at least. Probably Marines. That PT boat out there, definitely Vietnam War era."

"Drop it, kid. That's one road you don't wanna go down." Dutch said, his sunglasses making his eyes appear to be two black voids.

Husky quickly changed the subject, and they began discussing other various topics, from politics to football to weaponry.

The next evening, Revy and Rock were standing outside the door to Grouse's room.

"Do we really need to be here, Revy?" Rock asked.

"Of course we do, jackass, if he pisses Sis off, it might be World War III. She's been itching for a reason, we gotta make sure she doesn't get one."

Revy knocked on the door, Grouse opened it, a towel on his head. He wasn't wearing a shirt, and Rock quickly reassessed his opinion of him. Revy was shocked and surprisingly felt a little guilty. While his face didn't show that he belonged here, the scars on his body provided a solid counter-argument. There were many, of varying intensity and size. He also had a tattoo on his left forearm, an intricate tribal design that wound all the way around it.

The Mercenary invited them in, gesturing to the mini-fridge for drinks. Rock declined, but Revy took a look at what he had.

"So what's up guys? Everything happen okay last night?" Grouse asked as he buttoned up his shirt. Revy was glad she was at the fridge, because her face turned bright red.

"How the fuck did you know about that?" Revy turned around, fuming.

"I went to see that Rock didn't wander off and get himself killed, and I stumbled onto him, not getting killed." Grouse said, mincing words. Revy decided to let it go, grabbing the bottle of Bacardi in the fridge. At his request, she tossed him a Coke that was next to it.

Grouse finished getting dressed, a light blue shirt with a red tie, covered by a black vest and black slacks. He rolled up his sleeves, crossing his arms.

"Now, back to the reason we came here. Don't make her mad. We'd rather not get caught in the crossfire between you two." Rock said. Grouse nodded, putting his sunglasses on.

"Well, that shouldn't happen, but if it does, sorry in advance." He said, putting on what appeared to be a cleaner version of his coat, devoid of bullet holes. "Now, I must bid you _adieu,_ lest I be late for my appointment."

Climbing into the car Balalaika sent, Grouse nodded at Rock, and Rock nodded back. Revy was completely unaware of this exchange.

Entering the restaurant, Grouse found the Kapitan sitting at their table staring out the window, surrounded by her troops. She was smoking a cigar as usual, and he noticed she looked different. She was deep in though, not concentrating on anything in particular. It almost appeared for a second as if she were someone else, not the Kapitan of one of the most feared forces in Roanapur.

Approaching the table, he was checked for weapons. Boris took his revolver, and Balalaika had him give it to her. She examined the gun, looking down the sights and spinning the cylinder as Grouse took his seat, draping his coat on the back of the chair.

"I don't like this gun." She said, frowning at the Colt, .44 caliber. "It's boring."

"It's not my favorite." Grouse said, shrugging. "It gets the job done when I need something that is accurate at long range if my 93Rs are out, or in this case, out of commission. I should have them back in a few days. Then I can really enjoy myself. And what about you, Ms. Balalaika. From your name I would guess the Dragunov is your chosen weapon, but what do you use when you can't drag a sniper rifle around?"

Balalaika was surprised. This man was extremely perceptive under those sunglasses. She hoped he wouldn't disappoint her.

"Stechkin APS." She replied. Grouse nodded, considering.

"It's nice. Now, we have things to discuss concerning Dai-lo Chang and the Hong Kong Triad." Grouse said, taking a sip from his drink. "What solution do you have for us?"

"We'll use the other families and organizations to attack Chang, keep the pressure off us so we can move a little more freely. There's a second objective. Chang may exterminate them for us, and it will exhaust his resources to deal with them."

Grouse nodded, "We'll need to make sure that the families cannot trace it back to us, at least not directly. I have just the man for the job. I'll try and see if I can get him to work for us."

"You display a lot of initiative. You also seem to have a lot of money to throw around. I'm going to guess you're some kind of big boss back in the states? Or are you really that successful as a mercenary?"

"Maybe I'll let you know next time," Grouse said, finishing his meal. He stood, thanking the Kapitan. He declined using the car, saying he could find his way back from there. She was rather impressed by the man, but was unsettled by his eyes, or rather, how he hid them. From what she understood, that meant he was either highly mistrustful, or he had something to hide. She had always been able to communicate with her troops through eyes, but this man hid his eyes. Clearly he didn't want anyone to know what he was thinking.

Nothing much happened for a few days, until Grouse was able to pick up his pistols. Old man Paraiyachat placed the two pistols on the counter. He had extended the barrels, coated the parts in stainless steel, and added the tribal detailing to the slides. Grouse grabbed his two pistols, noting the sides now read:

"Paraiyachat Sword Tanto 9mm"

Looking at the grips, the initials he carved in each one were still there, reading "BB, MM"

He had named his two pistols, being one of those people who would do that. The initials stood for "Black Betty" and "Miss Murder"

Grouse placed the guns back in their holsters, thanking the gunsmith and stepping out into the street. His mobile phone got a call, and he flipped open the device. He answered, nodding his head and hanging up quickly. _Great._ He thought._ Rock's been captured._


	5. It Gets Easier

"You got a lot of fuckin' nerve, boy," The Albanian boss said, taking another puff of his cigarette. "Mr. Chang's a nice man, we got no reason to fight him. Now you, on the other hand. You and that Two-Hands bitch."

The Boss took another punch at Rock, causing the restrained businessman to grunt in pain. Rock looked up at him, one of his eyes swollen from repeated strikes.

"Sir, there is a war coming." Rock said, before being kicked in the stomach again. After regaining his breath, he continued. "I'm trying to help you. In this kind of thing, you either need to take a side, or get caught in the crossfire." Another punch. _This guy sure is violent._ Rock thought, trying to withstand the crime boss's beating. Luckily for him, Revy and Dutch pulled up not too much later in the GTO, Both brandishing weapons.

"You call the big boss?" Dutch asked, readying his shotgun.

"Yeah, he's on his way. I swear, I don't know which of those fuckers to shoot, Rock for getting captured again, or Grouse for letting him get captured." Revy replied, drawing and cocking the Cutlasses.

Grouse dropped in from one of the rooftops, surprising the two pirates.

"Freerunning. It's a hobby." He said, out of breath, pulling on his mask. "What's the situation?"

"Rock's inside, along with six or seven goons. You take the two on the left, Dutch takes the two on the right, and I take right down the center. We'll nail these fuckers and get that dumbass out."

"Sounds like a good plan." Grouse said, "Shall we?"

"Ladies first!" Revy yelled, kicking down the door, starting a rhythm of gunfire, Grouse added a faster pace, and Dutch provided what could be considered the baseline. Quickly dispatching the goons, Revy, Grouse and Dutch all had their guns trained on the Boss, who had taken Rock by gunpoint. He appeared slightly annoyed with the situation, and he appeared to be fidgeting.

"Was the offer not to your liking, then?" Grouse said, appearing to start a casual conversation with the person holding a gun to his friend.

"You've got a lot of balls, my friend." The Boss said. "I heard you're trying to take on all of Roanapur. That takes guts. Either that, or you're completely fucking insane. So no, I don't think a business partnership between us would work out."

"That's a darn shame, my friend. You look like a shrewd and responsible businessman, and I'm sorry to have missed out on the opportunity to work with you."

The room lit up with a gunshot, and Revy thought for a second Rock could be dead, the flash subsided, and the Boss's body fell to the ground. The shot hadn't come from the Boss's gun. There was a gun in Rock's hand, barrel still smoking.

Revy was horrified when she saw his face. There was no emotion in his eyes. He simply stared at her. The blank stare didn't last long, and he quickly dropped the gun and resumed scheduled programming. He shook with the feeling of what he had just done, turning to look at the corpse he had just made. He put his hand to his mouth, gagging.

He fell to his knees, puking. Revy scrambled to him, looking rather ungraceful and unlike herself.

"Rock, you alright! Answer me, dammit!" She yelled at him.

When he was done puking he indicated he was alright, so she kicked him in the side.

"What the hell, Rock?" Revy seethed. "What happened to your stupid morals. 'Never gonna shoot a gun' what a load of crap."

"I was tired of you having to come and save me." Rock said, getting up in Revy's face. "As reliable as you are, my luck will run out eventually."

Revy growled, pushing Rock back and turning to leave. She stormed past Grouse and Dutch, and they heard a car door slam outside. Grouse holstered his pistols, putting his hands in his pockets.

"Never thought I'd see the day," Dutch said. "This world really is changing you, huh Rock?"

"Yeah. I guess you could say that. My goals are still the same." Rock said, lighting a cigarette. "I just had to reconsider how far I was willing to go to reach them. My words weren't enough. Hopefully now I can fight for what I want."

"I can understand that." Dutch said. "Just keep it pointed in the right direction, okay?"

"Don't worry about that. I still hate using it, I'd prefer to negotiate than use violence. I'd just like it if I wasn't useless when negotiations break down." Rock placed the pistol in the back of his pants. Revy was certainly angry at his decision. She wasn't going to let it go. Rock climbed into the backseat with her, having asked Dutch and Grouse for a little bit of privacy. Revy turned away from him as he entered.

"You understand why I did what I did, right?" Rock asked her. She didn't answer.

After a while, she spoke. It wasn't to reprimand him, or call him a name. "I'm supposed to be the murderer." She said.

Rock got her meaning. The enemies and bullets weren't the only thing she was trying to protect him from. She had been trying for a very long time now to keep him from falling into the darkness. He understood a little bit more of his partner in that moment.

"One thing I've learned is that sometimes, no matter how hard you try to save someone in this life," Rock said, getting Revy to turn back to him. "They may end up falling anyway." Rock pulled the picture of Yukio out of his wallet. He tossed it on the seat next to him, allowing Revy to see how much that failure damaged him.

"This is my choice. I'm doing something more to save people."

"You dumbass, are you really willing to sacrifice yourself for people, well here's a newsflash, they aren't fuckin' worth it. They'll take whatever you've done for granted, and you'll have sacrificed yourself for nothing!" Revy grabbed him by the collar, straddling him. "I'm not just going to sit here and let you throw yourself away, you fuckin' DUMBASS!"

She got off of him, ending the conversation and extinguishing her cigarette. Dutch and Grouse entered the car, starting it up and taking them back to the office.

Revy didn't know what to make of the situation. Rock was changing, something that she was very uncomfortable with. Ever since their argument, they had an understanding of each other. They didn't question the way each other acted, although Revy would sometimes tease him for his tendency to want to save people and get kidnapped. Rock had always said he would never fire a gun, much less kill a man. The very thought of him doing so made Revy sick. It was just so unnatural for the sweet innocent guy that Rock was to be able to take a life.

She found herself in front of his apartment building. Sighing, she walked up the steps and knocked on his door. There was no answer, so she knocked again.

"Go Away!" Came the muffled reply. _Alright, that's it, asshole._

Revy kicked in the door, finding Rock sitting on the bed with his knees to his chest, and his arms wrapped around them. She realized what was going on. It was his first time.

Revy silently cursed the world for being so unfair. _He shouldn't have had to do that._ She thought. She sat down next to him on the bed, with her back against the wall. For a second she thought of smoking, but realized that probably wasn't the best thing to do right now.

"What do you feel?" She asked him, causing him to break his fetus-ball and turn to face her. She could see the tears welling up in his eyes and for once, she didn't think he was a pussy for having them. She remembered the first time she had ever killed anybody, and she didn't have the benefit of her first being a stranger…

"There was a rush when I pulled the trigger, and everything was warm for a second, then cold the next. I was completely aware that the person next to me was alive one second and dead the next, and that feeling, it's not something I think I can get used to." Rock said.

Revy nodded, still fairly angry with him, but somehow relieved that he was in so much pain because of taking a life. That was what she didn't want to change about him. He still saw life as a precious thing.

"Be careful, partner." Revy said, "It gets easier."

She leaned in for a kiss, and the distraught businessman accepted. Laying back down in the bed, Revy mused. "This is much more comfortable than a fucking alleyway."


	6. Light 'em Up

Dutch sipped his coffee as the mercenaries filed on to his boat. _Good thing they're payin' us so much._ He thought, as he stared at the .50 cal machine gun that had been installed on the top of the Lagoon. _That thing's a fuckin' eyesore._ Returning to the office, Dutch found Grouse explaining the plan to the Lagoon pirates.

"Based on our intel, The Hong Kong Triad is receiving a very large shipment of valuable material on a freightliner coming into port today. We are going to intercept this freighter, commandeer it, and take the material, whatever it is. The freighter is probably crawling with guards, so we can take out a sizeable amount of Chang's forces by taking it. Also I have been told the freighter is being escorted by a small fleet of attack boats, hence the .50 caliber welcoming gift we have installed on the Lagoon. One of my men will man the turret, we'll board the freighter, kill every one of Chang's men, and hopefully bring back something shiny."

The Mercenary finished up, and all the pirates boarded the lagoon. Rock was last, so Grouse quickly caught up to him, asking him if he was okay after what happened. Rock responded that his having killed didn't change anything, and that he was still going to do his best to save people. Grouse slapped him on the shoulder reassuringly, before boarding the boat himself.

The Lagoon set off, and Grouse decided that this was no time for a trenchcoat, hanging it on a hook in the bunks. He climbed up on the deck, finding Revy there, prepping for the battle. He sat down next to her, taking off his mask so the ocean spray would not cloud his mask's lenses.

"You gave Rock the gun, didn't you?" Revy asked him, not bothering to turn and face him. He gave an affirmative, and Revy continued. "Rock didn't know how to get out of handcuffs before, so you taught him before you sent him off on this mission, right?"

Grouse again confirmed that he did. "I couldn't let him get killed. Guy like him in a place like this, that's not something you gamble lightly. Besides, it was his idea. He said no one would thing to check _him_ for a gun."

Revy shook her head. She placed a round in the grenade launcher, standing up and turning on her Walkman as the Freighter and its escorts came into view. Grouse slipped his mask back on his face.

"Let's just get this over with, I'll be mad at you when we don't have people to kill."

"Well, Becky, I don't think you'll ever have the time." Grouse said, pulling out his Tantos.

The PT boat sped toward the enemy, and as expected, they opened fire. Grouse's man on the .50 cal returned in kind, giving them some cover for Revy to get in range with the 40mm. She took aim, blasting apart the bow of the first boat to come at them, Dutch swung the boat to the side, dodging the flaming wreck.

"I'm headin' out!" Revy yelled through her earpiece. She then jumped onto another ship, using her cutlasses to dispatch the crew.

"That looks like fun!" Grouse said, before the men on the freighter began to open fire themselves, killing his gunner. Annoyed, Grouse took the turret, aiming it at the deck of the larger ship and opening fire. The Lagoon circled its prey, Grouse laying down a heavy suppressive fire on the freighter while Revy took care of the escort. Hopping from craft to craft, the gunslinger alternated between her Cutlasses and the 40mm. She seemed to be enjoying herself, working with a certain flamboyance.

With all the escorts down, Revy signaled for pickup while Grouse readied an RPG. Heading to the back of the freighter, Grouse took aim, firing the rocket straight into their engines. With no chance of the freighter getting away, Grouse and Co. boarded the massive ship, taking positions among the shipping crates. The fight wasn't over yet. The Triad opened fire, and the mercenaries returned, beginning the firefight anew.

Grouse blew a few holes in someone's head, before he felt several knives bounce off his armor, one of them sticking into the joint. He looked up, seeing a woman in a red dress and white jacket looking down at him from one of the shipping crates, a kukri in each hand. He cocked his head at her, before turning and firing his guns. She gracefully dodged, closing a bit of distance between her and him.

"Oh, you wearing armor. Guess I have to aim for neck" The woman said in a strange way. Grouse saw a man in a trenchcoat climb to the top of the shipping crates, striking a pose. Grouse heard him say something, but he couldn't make it out over the noise of the battle. He also heard the sound of a chainsaw revving up, and out of the shadows stepped a strange looking Goth girl with a chainsaw. He couldn't complain. He'd fought weirder people.

He raised his guns immediately towards the shipping crate, firing a burst from each gun and bringing down the man on the shipping containers. He heard a thud, and the spooky chick came after him next. Jumping backwards to dodge the chainsaw, the girl swinging it with unnatural ease.

"_Keep these guys alive if you can!" _Revy shouted over the comm. "_They're friends of ours._"

"Oh, great!" Grouse said, "Let's all get drinks after this! It'll be a big fuckin' party!"

Grouse dodged to the side, forcing Spooky's chainsaw through the metal of a crate. Putting his gun to the casing, he fired several shots into the motor, jamming it. The girl made a face talking in a mechanical voice.

"**Do you realize… how annoying that is…?" **She said

"Well, would you rather I shot you in the face?" Grouse asked, pushing her aside and facing the knife-woman.

"I think we got off on the wrong foot." Grouse said. "You're mercenaries, I'm mercenaries, and we're all mercs here. How about we talk when I'm done here, assuming we're all still alive. Name's Grouse, by the way."

"You break friend's saw, jackass. I no like you." The woman said. "I am Shenhua."

"Oh, that's got a nice ring to it, sounds like something from a fighting game, makes me want to say it like, SHENHUA! Or something."

Shenhua snarled at him, throwing her kukris at him, which he backed up to dodge.

"Round One, FIGHT!" Grouse said, before holstering his guns and pulling out a few of his throwing spikes. Launching them at his opponent, he quickly closed the distance between them, pulling out his sword and slicing at her. She dodged, parried, and countered, managing to stick one of her kukris into the plate on his shoulder. Grunting from the pain, Grouse managed to stab her in the leg. Head-butting the assassin, Grouse pulled his sword out of her leg as she collapsed to the ground, unconscious.

The battle sounded like it was almost over. There were only a few isolated shots coming from around the boat, so the mercenary figured he had just about one.

Then the round hit him in the shoulder blade.

He turned, pulling a strange, needlelike round out of his back. He hadn't felt anything sharp, so he assumed that what it was carrying didn't get into him.

"That's some thick armor!" came a voice from behind him. His attacker wore a grinning, skull-like mask. Wires connected the jaw to the main part. He held a rifle in his hands, but it wasn't a model Grouse had ever seen. Setting the gun down on one of the shipping containers, the attacker pulled two tonfa from his back.

"Guess we do this the fun way!" he said, charging at Grouse, a flurry of tonfa strikes hitting the mercenary. He got a few in before Grouse could even think to block, one hitting him on the back of the head, disorienting him. The mercenary countered, his sword flashing as it caught the strange assassin in the arm. The man jumped back, readjusting his attack trajectory and driving the end of his tonfa into Grouse's stomach.

"You're not that fast, are you?"

The mercenary dropped to one knee. He concentrated, trying to think of where his opponent would try to strike next. He made his decision, grabbing the attacker's tonfa stopping it from hitting him again.

All of the sudden, there was a bang, and he was blown back as something hit him in the chest. He checked his armor for bullets, and found no new scratches, dents or holes. The attacker was between him and his sword, twirling his tonfa.

"Concussion rounds. No penetration, but it stings, don't it? Name's Kard, by the way. Heard you and the three Mousketeers introduce yourselves, so I felt it was rude not to do so myself."

Grouse stood up, battered. He pulled Shenhua's Kukri out of his shoulder, flipping it so he could use it backhand. He rushed Kard, who got his tonfa ready. Instead of slashing with the knife, Grouse instead shifted his momentum, punching the assassin in the face. Taking advantage of the assassin's confusion, Grouse grabbed one of his tonfa and shot three more of his "concussion rounds" into Kard's chest.

Slamming against a container, Kard was knocked out, and slumped down against the box. Grouse picked up and sheathed his sword. The fight on the rest of the boat finished, and the mercenary was able to interrogate the captain about which container held the cargo for Chang. Upon opening the container, Grouse was infuriated by the contents. As his men unloaded the scared girls out of the crate, Grouse turned to the captain, unsheathing his sword.

"I swear to god, I had no idea what I was transporting!" the captain screamed, as Grouse's men held him still. He swore he didn't know, even though the manifest listed the merchandise… Rock and the lagoon company looked on as Grouse stood before the weeping criminal.

"I'm going to spare your life," Grouse said, staring down at the disgusting creature before him. "Against my better judgment. You will serve as an example to Mr. Chang, to the fate of those who deal in human trafficking."

"Oh, thank you, you won't regret this!" the captain bawled.

Speaking to his men, Grouse spoke the captain's punishment. "Blind him, castrate him, and leave him on Chang's doorstep. That ought to send a message."

Rock strangely enough felt okay with Grouse's treatment of the captain. The unconscious mercenaries including the still living Lotton the Wizard, were loaded onto the Lagoon along with Grouse's men and the freed captives, as well as some of the more valuable weapons from the shipment. With the boat now extremely crowded, Grouse sat on the bow as the tiny ship left Chang's carrier stranded out on the water. When they were a good distance away, Grouse pressed the button on a detonator, blowing up several bombs set on the lower decks, sinking the ship, and all of Chang's other goods, such as drugs and guns.

Revy sat down on the deck next to him. Taking a long drag from her cigarette, she sighed and turned to the masked mercenary.

"Eda and I are playin' cards tonight. She's been askin' about you, so I was wonderin' if you'd like to join?"

Grouse nodded. The sun began to set as they returned to the city.


	7. Hell Yeah

"Fucking shit!" Revy yelled, throwing her cards down, having lost another hand. Eda grabbed the pot, smiling. Between her and Grouse, the two of them had almost drained Revy's supply of money.

Revy downed another shot, as they sat in the Rip-Off Church. Grouse wore a shit-eating grin on his face as he and Eda laughed at their friend, who was getting more and more frustrated as the game went on. They had a bit of an unfair advantage, as both of them wore their sunglasses.

"Okay, now," Eda said, unofficially ending the game, "I get the vibe you two knew each other before you came to town, so spill it."

Grouse turned to Revy, silently asking her permission to tell the story. She shrugged, and Grouse told the tale.

Eda nodded, her usual smile disappearing as she listened to the grim tale. Revy twitched uncomfortably as he relayed the details leading up to her parents' murder, and gave him the signal to stop before it got too personal.

"Well, then, It sounds like Rocky Boy isn't the first you've been trying to get with." Eda said, downing another shot.

Grouse's face went pale at the same time as Revy's turned red.

"It wasn't fuckin' like that, bitch!" Revy said, standing and slamming her cards down on the table.

"Fuck!" She yelled, "I gotta piss. Grouse, don't you dare tell that slut anything else or I'll cut your balls off."

Grouse nodded, still embarrassed by Eda's assumption. As Revy left the room, his usual smirk returned.

"So, Langley." He said, causing Eda to spit out her drink. "They told me you were deep cover but this is something I wasn't expecting."

"I don't know what you're talking about." The nun said, secretly panicking.

"We both know who you work for. I have a few favors from Uncle Sam, and I need a way to get to them from here."

Eda stared into her drink, contemplating his revelation. "You understand I'll have to confirm this, and if it doesn't check out…"

"You'll have to kill me, blah blah blah, I get it." Grouse said, pushing his sunglasses back up the bridge of his nose, "I am aware of the procedure. They know who I am. Make sure you ask the right person, because I'm sure they want to acknowledge my existence even less than they do yours."

Eda tensed up. He'd hit a soft spot. Here she was, in a city of crime, trying her best to protect freedom and justice: by being everything she hated. A criminal, a whore. Someone who sold herself for tiny bits of information that may not even be useful to keeping America safe. He was right, they didn't even want to say she existed.

"I would recommend not bothering them now. It'd be best to call them when I actually need them. For now, I gotta go. The Queen would like to meet with me again." Grouse collected his winnings from his side of the table, pocketing the money and placing his hands in his coat pockets. Turning to face the altar, he gave it a slight nod as a sign of reverence.

Eda was still stunned by the strange man who was leaving the church. Even as Revy plopped herself back down and started complaining about something Rock did, Eda was still concerned about what this mercenary could mean to her mission. Could she finally get out of this hellhole? Eda looked at her friend, the only friend she'd made in this godforsaken city. Revy would be the only thing she'd be leaving behind. _We'll see where this goes,_ Eda thought.

Chang sat at his desk, staring at the pitiful captain, and listening to Shenhua's account of the skirmish on the boat. Never losing his cool, Chang stared through his glasses at the man. Shenhua finished the story, and Chang stood up. He pulled his pistols from their holsters, putting a bullet in the captain's head, causing him to slump against his chair. Shenhua flinched, expecting to take the other.

Instead, Chang put his guns away, lighting up a cigarette. "From what you told me, you're lucky to be alive." He said. "This guy sounds like a demon. In fact, he reminds me a bit of a certain dog of war who came through her a few months ago. You've gotta wonder."

"_Dai lo Chang" _Shenhua said in Taiwanese. "_What do we do now? If we do not attack him quickly, he will gain too much ground and become unstoppable."_

"That's exactly what I want. We need him to get deep into our territory. Then, we'll surround him and destroy him." Chang said. "Almost exact same thing happened with Fry-Face. This tactic has worked before."

"_You don't think the Russian may be working with the Mercenary?"_ Shenhua asked.

"Probably, but she might not tell him, seeing as she has a lot to gain from letting him get killed anyway. She's smarter than putting her faith in some merc, she'll have a contingency. Anyway, I want you and your friends to get some rest. You'll need to recuperate from that leg injury, and I want you at 100% in case I need you again."

Shenhua nodded, leaving Chang's building and returning to the apartment she shared with Lotton and Sawyer.

In her office in another of the few high-rises in Roanapur, The Russian Warlord blew out smoke as she looked over the intel she had put together on the Mercenary.

She was honestly impressed by what she could find. He was very well known in the Western Hemisphere and Europe, particularly in South America. What was this? He was very unpopular with the FARC, having an outstanding warrant on his head with $750,000 on his head. Balalaika had to wonder if he show the Colombians no mercy for personal reasons, or was it just how he was?

Boris interrupted her thoughts. "Your guest has arrived, ma'am." The sergeant said, stoic as ever.

"Send him in," Balalaika responded.

The Mercenary had decided to once again forgo the mask, although his coat and sunglasses reminded her a bit of Chang. She saw he was still wearing his armor, however.

"It's good to see you again," Balalaika said, receiving a smile from the Mercenary. "Would you like a drink, Mr. Grouse? Or would you prefer I call you Mr. Pierce?"

Grouse scoffed, a smirk still present on his features, though his eyes, if she could see them, would have let her know that he was furious.

David Pierce was an industrialist, a very rich man in America. He used his earnings from his mercenary career to help his company grow, and vice versa. He had made a very good life for himself by dipping in between the worlds of night and day, and he was more than a little upset that his cover had been blown.

"After all this time I thought I was pretty good a covering my tracks." Grouse said, running a hand through his hair. "So I assume you know everything?"

"Don't sell yourself short, darling." Balalaika countered. "This info was damn near impossible to get. The only reason I found it was that I had hidden things about myself in a similar way. You're good, but someone had to know who you were."

"In that case, would it be alright for us to move on to a first-name basis, I'm feeling rather disappointed with how slow things are moving, Sofiya."

The Crime Lord bit her cigar in half, the lit end falling on her desk. She spit out the end.

Sofiya Pavlovena. _No one_ called her that name. _Ever._

"Pretty extreme reaction to hearing your own first name. I'm sure you hadn't expected me to turn the tables on you this time, did you?" Grouse said, his smirk having grown into a grin.

"How…" Balalaika seethed. "How do you know that name?"

"Let's just say daddy got Uncle Sam alright."

Balalaika's hands clenched into fists. He had bested her, at least in that regard. He'd been able to provoke her, just by uttering her name. She would learn from this.

"I suppose." She said, sighing and putting out the still smoking remains of the cigar, "I need a drink. You want anything, David?"

"Rum." Grouse said, enjoying his little victory. "If you've got it."

"I have much better than that, my friend." Balalaika said.

_We'll see who comes out victorious at the end of the night._ She thought.

Revy turned her key to Rock's apartment, opening the door and plopping herself down on the couch. Looked like he wasn't home. Probably still at the office, looking over some papers or something like that. She had decided to start staying at his place about a week ago, when it started becoming inconvenient for her to have to go back and forth whenever she needed something.

To be honest, she didn't know what to think of her and Rock's relationship. Sure they were fucking, but other than that, they didn't really do anything different. If she didn't know Rock so well, she'd say he wasn't interested in anything more. But she knew better. Rock wanted dates, cuddling, girlfriend, all that. All that kinda sappy shit that made her want to hit him. She didn't know what to think. Sure, Rock could piss her off sometimes, but there was something about him. He said once that he was a bullet. She supposed he'd be an armor piercing kind, considering he could rip through all the walls she put up in seconds if she tried. She remembered when she had almost killed him in the market.

She was reluctant to pursue any relationship with Rock because this life was all she knew.

_How the fuck am I supposed to deal with this?_ Revy thought.

Rock turned the key and entered the small apartment. Finding his partner sprawled on the couch, Rock gave a simple greeting as he locked the door behind him. Revy groaned, rubbing her eyes, but raised a hand in response. Revy collected her legs to allow her partner to sit, a rare consideration he took advantage of.

"How was Eda?" Rock asked, taking off his tie.

"Fucking annoying." Revy said, "She's still asking about you and me."

"Maybe if you just told her, she'd stop bothering you." Rock said, trying to resolve everything as usual.

"And give her the satisfaction? Fuck no." Revy said, stretching. "I wanna talk to you about something."

Rock looked at her, giving her his full attention with those motherfucking _puppy eyes_. Goddammit. She was one of the best gunslingers in the world, and this sappy little shit was the thing that could bring her down.

"I've decided I'm gonna try whatever the fuck you normal people call a relationship." She said, acting casual to gauge his reaction.

"What do you mean, relationship?" Rock asked, that naïve look still present in his eyes even now.

"I mean like dates and shit." Revy said quickly, forcing it out.

Rock raised an eyebrow at the normally abrasive gunslinger. "You want to go on a date?"

"Forget it." Revy growled, getting up.

"No, I think it's a great idea. To be honest, I was thinking something similar, but didn't know how to bring it up." Rock said.

"Let's not talk about that anymore, okay?" Revy said. "We'll sort that shit out later."


	8. Black Betty

Boris noticed something odd about the Mercenary's most recent visit. He hadn't left by any way surveillance could spot him, so where was he? Entering the Kapitan's office he found that she wasn't at her desk, as she usually was at this time in the morning. Boris began to worry, pulling out his gun and taking a position to open the door to the adjoining bedroom. Opening the door slowly and quietly, Boris stepped into what could only be described as a warzone.

The dresser was smashed, there were clothes all over the floor, and one of the bedposts had been torn off and lodged into one of the walls. Boris was just beginning to panic over the implications of such a mess, when he saw the two belligerents, laying haphazardly in the bed together.

Boris's face went a bit red as he slowly backed out of the room, He turned around to open the door, placing his gun back in its place.

"No need to be embarrassed, Sergeant." The Kapitan said, sitting up in the bed. "Sorry I slept in late."

"No problem, ma'am." Boris said, regaining his composure. "I was suspicious when I noticed Mr. Pierce never left."

"So you investigated." Grouse said, rolling over. "Were you satisfied with the results?"

"To be honest, I'm just glad we didn't hear any gunshots." Boris answered.

"It came pretty close to that," Balalaika said, grabbing one of her cigars, cutting and lighting it.

"That's all I need to know ma'am." Boris said. "We will be awaiting you, whenever you are ready."

"Thank you, Sergeant." Balalaika replied. "I will be down soon."

Boris left, but not before glancing at the trashed room and wondering what on earth they did to create such chaos.

The offices of the Lagoon Company had become sort of an improvised headquarters for Grouse's operation. As the pirates came in in the morning, they were glad to see they had the office to themselves, at least for a little while.

"Hey Revy," Dutch asked the gunslinger, as she plopped down on the couch and absentmindedly began paging through a magazine. She looked up at him, brow raised as she waited for him to ask his question.

"You okay with us goin' up against Chang?" The boss-man asked, staring at her through his glasses. "If I remember correctly, he's the one who taught you how to use those guns so well. Would've thought you'd be objecting at least a little."

Revy shrugged. "Somethin' wasn't sitting right with Rock after the psycho-maid left town again." Revy stated, completely ignoring the fact that Rock was sitting right there. "I cornered Rock, and made him tell me what it was. Turns out the reason he went all mastermind on us was Chang pressured him into it. Chang saw Rock as something to be used to save the city. Just stripped away everything he meant until he was just a thing. Guess all his meaning to me got stripped away too."

"Fair enough." Dutch said. "Just wanted to make sure you were okay. As your boss I want you 100%, cool?"

"Sure thing, boss-man."

Meanwhile, in another part of the city, Grouse was talking on a payphone, calling in a favor from an old friend.

"Come on Bobby. I need your help. Things here are going a little less than perfect. I need some backup for the final push."

"I told you, David." The voice on the other side said. "I'm never going back to that city. I admire what you are doing but I cannot be a part of it. I have responsibilities here."

"Don't give me that, Bobby." Grouse scoffed. "You owe me for that time in Bolivia. Besides, the plan changed. Chang started rallying all the factions that were left against us. We're going up against a force of around 3,000."

"How many men do you have?" Bobby asked.

"Around 350." Grouse replied in a grave tone.

There was a moment of silence as Bobby considered the options. "I will make preparations to leave immediately. I will leave things here in the hands of my subordinate. We must do this quickly, David. I fear we both have much to lose in that city."

"I await your arrival. Let me know when you are on your way." Grouse said, hanging up the telephone.

On the other side of the world, Bobby smiled. _The hunt calls._

Back in Roanapur, the Mercenary continued his campaign against Chang and his forces. The Dai-lo had decided to start hitting back hard, hoping a bit of fierce battle would goad his opponent into making a rash move. For the most part, he was disappointed. Grouse on his own would likely have charged in impulsively, no matter how much he tried to tell you he always thought things through. But he wasn't alone. Balalaika knew Chang's tactics, she knew when it was safe to go all out or when it was better to play it safe.

Her actions were more surprising to Chang. He thought she would have let the Mercenary rush in, then come and finish him off. That made more sense from her perspective. This new guy would die, obviously, but he could do an enormous amount of damage before he went. Then old Fry-face would come in and kill whatever was left. It didn't makes much sense that she was helping him.

Mostly, there were intense firefights. They struck where they needed to be, and didn't waste time engaging in more general combat. They fought smart. Balalaika herself even stepped onto the battlefield, taking out enemies with precision, and wielding the Dragunov rifle with such amazing skill she most definitely deserved her name.

This Mercenary was smart. It had been decided a while before he got there that the Lagoon company office was a bit of a neutral zone, as nearly everyone in the city employed them. No one would want to attack there for fear of killing their most reliable smugglers.

It was after one such fight that Grouse received a call from the airport in Bangkok. He had his men take the van to pick-up Bobby. After the fight, it was a relatively quiet day, the Lagoon Company and the Mercenary sat around the office, the pirates both rejoicing and lamenting the lack of work. Revy was the worst. Sure, she was getting paid, but she was just so damn _bored._

The doorknob turned, and Husky entered the building. He let Grouse know that Bobby had arrive, stepping to the side as a young Hispanic woman stepped through the door. She had short black hair, and wore a fitting black top under a white jacket. Setting her luggage down on the floor, Grouse greeted his old friend.

"Everyone, I'd like you to meet Bobby." Grouse said, "Bobby this is everyone."

"We've met before," Bobby said, causing Revy's eyes to widen in surprise. "I have mixed feelings about seeing you again, Rebecca."

Revy jumped back, pulling her gun and aiming it at the new face. "What the fuck are you doing here, Four-eyes!?"

"A friend called in a favor. There is no reason for alarm, I'm here on your side." Roberta said, putting her hands up as a gesture of peace. After a few long seconds, Revy lowered her gun and the tension in the room relaxed, if only a little.

"I know you may be shocked to see me here." Roberta said. "But I promise you, I mean no harm. At least not to you."

"Shit," Dutch said, leaning against the wall. "All the crazy shit Grouse's done, no wonder he knows you."

"Grouse?" Roberta turned to the Mercenary. "You are still using that nickname, David?"

"It stuck." Grouse said.

Turning to the confused pirates, Roberta offered a bit of clarity. "He used to complain almost constantly. I think he learned well, however. "

"Wait, you trained him?" Revy asked, confused again.

"Yes." Roberta said, giving a small nod.

It started to make sense, as another puzzle of what became of David Pierce was made clear to Revy. She didn't know much, but his little performance with Abrego definitely had Roberta written all over it.

"Now that you're here, you gonna come to the bar with us, Four-eyes?" Revy asked.

"Yes, I will accompany you. However, I do not see why you keep calling me that. I am no longer wearing my glasses."

"Once she gives you a nickname, she sticks with it." Grouse told the Maid. "Don't worry about it."

"Fair enough. I hope the bartender does not recognize me. I feel he may not welcome me back into his establishment with open arms. At least not without a gun in them.

"You're right about that, but what the hell, he lets me in, so let's go already!" Revy yelled, irritated, storming out towards the car.

Rock was stunned and amazed to see Roberta so together after her last appearance in the City of the Dead. She appeared almost completely unscathed, and while she wasn't the unstoppable killing machine she was before, she wasn't the terminator maid either. It puzzled Rock, and Roberta noticed his staring.

"Garcia told me what you did for us." Roberta said, shocking Rock out of his thoughts. She never referred to the Lovelace heir by name. "At first he was angry, but after thinking he realized all you did was to save us. For that, you have my gratitude."

Roberta extended her hand to the Businessman, and he took it, and shook it.

At the Yellow Flag, Roberta was pleased to find that no one recognized her with such a different appearance. At first she was hesitant to drink with the Lagoon Company, and they were hesitant to drink with her, but a little mediation from Grouse and Dutch eventually brought them all together. Deciding to get a table instead of their normal seats at the bar, the pirates began to open conversation with the former guerilla.

As the drinks flowed, Roberta's cold demeanor began to wash away. She began to reminisce with Revy about different battles they had been in, and about the craziest enemies they'd fought. Grouse occasionally interjected with a tale of his own, telling of his time as a mercenary.

"You have such a talent for tactics, David." Roberta said, taking another sip of her drink. "Yet you often charge in headfirst with zero thought as to the situation. It's almost as if you try _not_ to think a situation through."

"I pretty much just make things up as I go along, most of the time." Grouse said, rubbing his temple. "There's no better plan than improvisation."

"For once, I gotta agree with you." Revy said, raising her glass to that.

Rock had to step outside to take a call.

After answering the phone, Rock was displeased to hear the voice of Mr. Chang on the other end of the line.

"Hey, Rock my man! How are things going on the other end?" The Crime Boss said, his voice calm and upbeat as usual, completely ignoring the fact they were enemies now. "I want you to know that there are no hard feelings between us. After this chump gets blown away we can get back to business as usual, in fact, I've got a pretty good job lined up for you right now."

Rock slammed his fist into the wall. "What makes you think there's no hard feeling between us? Let me remind you, you put innocent children in danger, and for what, you fucking piece of shit?"

Chang began to laugh from the other end while Rock continued to berate him.

"The only thing I'll be negotiating is your surrender," Rock said, loosening his tie like he usually did when things started to get heated. "Until then, you can go fuck yourself, Dai-Lo."

Rock hung up the phone, immediately dialing another number, putting his skills to work.

At Chang's office, Kard had been called in to see the big boss.

Entering the room, Kard found the Crime Boss sitting at one of his couches, his feet up on the coffee table and an all-around casual feeling surrounding him. Chang welcomed the Fool, as he was known, to sit down.

"You drink or smoke my friend?" Chang said, the Fool shook his head no, instead asking for a root beer, oddly. Luckily enough, Chang had one, offering it to Kard. Twisting off the cap, Kard drank down the beverage, listening to Chang's plan with a semi-interested look on his face.

When Chang was done explaining, Kard stood, giving a goofy salute before grabbing his gear and heading out the door. Chang hoped that asshole was worth the money, he looked like a goofball from what he'd seen so far.

Back at the Yellow Flag, Revy and Roberta had begun a drinking contest. In the background, Rock and Grouse, now able to speak of his life as David Pierce, were discussing several topics including business, Roanapur, and women.

"How exactly do you know Roberta?" Rock asked the Mercenary.

"Well, like she said before, she taught me how to fight. The story that led up to that is very long and painful. Human trafficking operation in Venezuela. They caught me while I was on vacation. I got out, and luck or fate or whatever led me to this bigass house in the middle of nowhere. So here I am, beaten and bleeding. I knock on the door, and a beautiful woman answers, the Chambermaid. But it's not her looks that capture my attention, no, it's her eyes. Behind those glasses I see eyes that are unsurprised by the sight of blood, who have seen enough that she was no longer phased."

"They took me in, while I recovered." Grouse continued. "I asked Senor Lovelace about his maid, he told me her story. I convinced her to teach me what she knew, and through the jungle, I learned a bit more. We fought together against the unjust for a while, whenever I could coax her out of that house. It saddened me greatly to hear of Diego's passing."

"And her rampage?" Rock asked.

"Oh she got an earful about that one…" Grouse started before hearing Roberta yell in surprise, as well as most of the patrons in the bar become deathly quiet.

"Garcia?"

A man stood at the door in a strange black coat with what looked like two teenagers in front of him, a boy and a girl. The boy was Garcia Lovelace, and the girl was Fabiola Iglesias. Rock recognized the man as the guy he'd almost run over earlier. He could swear this guy was Lotton, if not for the way he acted. He was more upbeat and goofy, instead of trying desperately to be cool.

"Excuse me sir, do you have anything non-alcoholic to drink?" The man said, gently pushing the children further into the bar. "I'd like a root beer if you have it, what do you guys want?"

"I want you to leave us alone, _pendejo_." The girl said. "We didn't want to come here."

Spotting Grouse near the back, the man got excited, waving to the Mercenary.

"Hey pal, good to see you! Remember me from the boat?"

Grouse's brow furrowed as he struggled to remember. Oh. _THAT_ guy.

"What in hell are you doing here?" Grouse said, approaching the man.

"Stirring up trouble," Kard said before pulling one of his strange guns and shooting Grouse point blank.


	9. A Better Tomorrow

Grouse flew back towards the bar, impacting the solid surface. Seeing no trace of a bullet on his vest, he assumed that Kard was still using his concussion rounds. His sunglasses managed to survive the impact, and glinted in the light as he pushed them back up his nose.

"You want me to kick your ass again?" Grouse said, "Let's go!" He pulled out his Tantos and aimed them at the Fool, who sidestepped and ducked to avoid the barrage. Garcia and Fabiola took refuge with Roberta and the Lagoon Crew.

Kard dodged another burst from Grouse before going on the offensive, shooting both of his guns at the Mercenary. The lesser force was counteracted by the second shot, and the Mercenary was blown back once more.

Revy and Roberta began to pull out their guns, but were quickly stopped by Grouse

"Everyone out! This is between him and me!" the Mercenary said, "Get back to the office, he may not be the only one after us!"

Roberta nodded, and after some convincing, Revy relented as well, retreating from the building with Lovelace and Fabiola in tow.

"Hell no!" Bao yelled. "Both of you get out right now or so help me…" A very close shot next to his head changed his mind, and he left with the rest of the patrons.

With the distractions out of the way, the Fool and the Mercenary resumed their duel. Kard shot out the electrical box to the right of the bar, killing the lights and giving him an advantage. While the Mercenary's eyes adjusted, Kard went in for several vicious strikes to different parts of his body. Grouse still felt the blows through his armor, and he couldn't afford to get tired out. Trying to figure out a strategy to beat his opponent, Grouse observed Kard as they fought. Kard was fast, and he didn't like to stay in one place for too long. He kept low and close together to avoid getting shot, and usually counterattacked instead of providing the first blow.

He waited until Grouse was open before striking him across the back of the neck with a tonfa. Falling to one knee, irritated, Grouse reloaded his pistols, Grouse fired in a 360 degree pattern, spraying the tables, windows, and bar with a hail of lead.

Standing back up, Grouse noticed that there was a pause before Kard resumed his attack. He also noticed that Kard had an attack pattern, one that he could predict. After getting hit a few more times to memorize the strikes, Grouse countered an attack mean to strike him in the side, grabbing the tonfa and delivering a roundhouse kick to the wielder's head.

Hearing a satisfying crash, Grouse exited the building, deciding he was done fighting the Fool. Unfortunately, Kard wasn't done, tackling the Mercenary from behind. Grouse flipped him over his head, slamming the Fool into the ground.

Pulling his Tanto out and pointing it into Kard's eye, pinning him to the ground with a knee to the chest.

"Who sent you?!" The Mercenary yelled, his sunglasses flashing in the light from the bar.

Kard surrendered, revealing his intent and employer to the Mercenary. Grouse growled, his teeth appearing much sharper than normal.

"You cross me again, I will end you, understand?" he snarled.

Kard nodded. "You mind if I switch sides?" the man in the skull mask said. "Chang kinda said he'd make me Swiss cheese if I failed. I'm not looking forward to that, and I'm pretty sure my paycheck's down the drain."

Getting off the man and holstering his gun, Grouse helped him up.

"I'll consider it." The Mercenary said, "Now get out of here."

Kard did so, grabbing his things and going. Heading back to the office, Grouse walked the streets of Roanapur, contemplating his next move against Chang. He'd need to strike at him hard and fast. They were nearing the endgame now, so a drawn out fight could be deadly. He needed some way to draw Chang out into the open so he could be defeated, once and for all. He just needed some way of doing so.

Back at the Lagoon office, Rock discussed Chang's phone call with Revy. The Gunslinger scowled as she smoked while Rock told her how Chang had tried to manipulate him once more. Revy angrily put out her cigarette, turning to her partner, putting an arm on his shoulder and, with much difficulty, tried to comfort him.

"We're gonna get that bastard, Rock." She said, her bangs falling in front of her eyes and giving her face a dark shadow. "He's had a good run, but his time on the top is over. We'll get him and you won't have to worry about it again."

Rock nodded, returning her sign of affection. Their moment over, Rock and Revy returned to the main office, where Grouse and Roberta stood before the two teens, both with their arms crossed.

"Young Master, what are you doing here?" Roberta said, her voice a mix of anger and concern. "We agreed you would never return to this city."

"We agreed WE would never return to this city." Garcia said, standing up from his seat on the couch. "But here you are, running off again to this hellhole. I understand why, but I'll be damned if I'm going to let you do it alone."

Roberta's expression softened, and she nodded solemnly, understanding her charge's wish.

"I understand. But I will not allow you to put yourself in harm's way, Garcia." Roberta said, almost in a whisper. "This is non-negotiable. You are not to come anywhere near the fighting, and if the fight comes to you, you will run, do you understand?"

Clearly not pleased, but deciding to go with her wish, Garcia nodded once again. "I won't get into any trouble, but promise me one thing." He said, looking Roberta in the eye, "Don't let _her_ out of the cage again."

Roberta agreed, and the arrangements were made for Garcia and Fabiola to stay with Roberta in a safe location where they could be hidden away from the fighting.

Once the situation was resolved, Garcia approached Rock. Rock noticed that in the three years that had passed since the last time they had seen each other, Garcia had grown from a small boy into a young man. The so-called "Young Master" now stood about three inches shorter than Rock, and hints of stubble began to show on his face.

"To be honest, I'd hoped we'd never meet again," Garcia told the Businessman, by way of a very cynical greeting. "David swept you up in his little crusade as well, then?"

Rock nodded, and Garcia scoffed.

"I knew he'd turn out like this, after I saw what Roberta could do on our first trip to this city. She'd taught him, and he'd learned from her. But she passed something more on to him, I can tell. Be careful, Senor."

Left with an ominous warning, Rock rejoined the group, where the Mercenary was discussing their next move against Chang. He said they'd need to make a decisive move in order to force Chang out into the open so he could be taken down.

"You got any kinda plan yet?" Revy asked, leaning on the wall next to Rock.

"Not yet. All I know is we need to light a fire under his ass. He's too well protected. There's no way we can attack him now. We'll regroup in the morning, I'll have something for us then." Grouse said, deciding he was going to leave the office.

Revy found her way to a phone to make a call. She'd be the one to end this.

Grouse found himself back at Hotel Moscow. Balalaika greeted him, and they began talking strategy.

Grouse felt rather at home when he was with the Kapitan. She was someone he could relate to, at least at a higher level than anyone else. They had similar mindsets, which allowed their conversations to flow smoothly from one subject to the next, and they usually found agreement.

"Oh, I've got something for you." The Russian said, producing a rather large package and placing it on her desk. The Mercenary opened it, revealing a .50 Desert Eagle, black finish with an extended barrel.

"Oh, for me? You shouldn't have." Grouse said.

"I tried to find something in your style, but that should replace that cowboy piece you have." Balalaika said.

Grouse nodded, thanking her. He was in for another long night.

Revy walked down the street, through the rain, approaching the warehouse where the meet up would take place. Making sure she wasn't walking into a trap, Revy entered the warehouse. It was mostly empty, with some scattered crates near the corners. The leaks in the roof cause several puddles of water to form all along the warehouse floor.

Having spotted the person she was meeting, Revy growled, pulling out her Cutlasses and pointing them at Chang.

"Come on, Becky. There's no need for that." Chang said, "You know this isn't going to end well."

"Like hell. I don't care if your guys kill me. I'm ending you now." Revy snarled at him.

"Grow up, Rebecca. You know what it takes to live in this world. It's no use getting all bent out of shape over your boyfriend. You don't need to do this."

"Yeah. Sorry, but I do. When you taught me, I always told myself there'd be a day when I'd be good enough to kill you. Hate to say it, but this had been a long time comin'."

"Ungrateful brat." Chang muttered under his breath. "Shall we begin?" He said, drawing his guns.

Chang opened fire first, and Revy ran to the side, returning the favor. Taking cover behind one of the warehouse's support pillars, pausing to reload before leaning out and shooting at Chang again. The Triad boss kept moving, not sticking to one cover for more than a few seconds. Revy had to switch covers when he got in behind her, one of the shots almost hitting her in the head.

Revy and Chang kept on fighting, sometimes getting in so close they had to dodge the other's swinging pistols. Chang was undoubtedly more skilled, but Revy had a lot more practice. As a result, Chang's reflexes were slower, and Revy managed to clip him on the thigh. Growling, the Crime Boss unleashed another barrage, hitting Revy in the arm as she dove for cover. Yelping in pain, she dropped one of her Cutlasses and Chang kicked it away.

Moving to another cover before Chang could blow her away, Revy had to reload quickly.

_Shit, shit, shit._ She thought. _The fuck do I do?_

She remembered the move Grouse had pulled on her when he first came to Roanapur. She had no defense against, but she had managed to shoot him in the limbs a few times before he could get her. It was a big risk, but it was the only way she could win this. Besides, so what if she died?

Quickly coming out of cover and pointing her gun at Chang, Revy ran at him full tilt, unloading the 15 9mm rounds at him.

When her clip was empty, she lowered her shoulder driving it into the Crime Boss' ribs. To her surprise, Chang used her momentum against her, flipping her over and slamming her head into one of the support columns. The dazed and beaten Gunslinger was spent, she had no fight left in her.

Lying on the floor of the warehouse, Revy saw Chang standing above her before she blacked out.


	10. King Nothing

Rock, obviously, was the first to notice Revy's absence. Checking first at her apartment, then the office, then finally the Church, Rock began to worry when he could not find his partner anywhere. Frantic thoughts raced through his head as he began to panic, running back to the office to inform his associates of her disappearance. What happened? Had she been killed? Why? What was she doing last night? It wasn't like her to not be at work, even if she came in late. But now it was the afternoon and no one had caught any sight of her.

An out of breath Rock shared his concerns with the crew, including Grouse, Roberta and Balalaika. Grouse and Dutch seemed to be the most bothered by the Gunslinger's disappearance. The Veteran was the one who knew Revy the longest, and even he had no idea where she could be.

A call came in on the phone and was picked up by the closest person, Rock. His expression went from hopeful to a look of pure rage when the caller began to speak.

"Hey Rocky Boy! Guess you've noticed your partner's disappearance by now." Chang said. "You know, you're the only reason she's alive right now. Bet that makes you feel special, huh?"

"Where. Is. She?" Rock growled through gritted teeth.

"Oh I've got her somewhere for safe keeping. I'll give her back to you in exchange for negotiating an end to all these hostilities." Chang said, twirling the phone cord in his fingers. "Tell your friend in the mask I'll even let him live, and he can have his own little slice of the pie here in Roanapur. He's done quite enough to earn him a place among our little family. So you get him to stop his little war, and I won't blow a hole in little Becky's head, okay? You take care now, I'll be expecting a call from you soon."

Chang hung up the phone, and Rock slammed his back down into the hook, nearly punching a hole in the wall in frustration.

"Dammit!" He screamed. "She went after Chang and he captured her. He's using her as a bargaining chip to get you to stop attacking him. He wants me to negotiate an end to the fighting. He says you can have part of the territory from the groups you've destroyed. He's offering her life in exchange for peace."

"It's a trap." Balalaika said calmly, blowing out smoke. "He'll want to meet with you, probably at the docks. You will talk for a while, then he'll shoot you and dump you into the harbor. That's his play. You go through with this, you have a very slim chance of surviving."

"But if I don't Revy will die." Grouse said, rubbing his eyes. "We don't exactly have a lot of options. We don't know where he's keeping her."

"That's not true actually," Kard piped up, surprising everyone. His hands shot up into the air as every gun in the room was pointed at him. "Yikes! No need for the rude greeting, sheesh. Hey, you're okay with me being on this side now right? 'Cause I've got some super-important intel for you and I would be in a much more sharing mood if I didn't have so many guns in my face."

Grouse gave the signal and everyone put their guns away. Once he was confident everyone had calmed down, Kard shared his intel.

"He's keeping her in a World War II Japanese underground bunker about 15 miles from town. It's heavily guarded on the inside, but there's only one guy on the outside. It's also cut off from outside communication. Only the guy guarding the entrance has communications. You take him out, no one can give the kill order, and you could get inside and free… whatshername."

"It's Revy!" Rock yelled at the Fool. Kard put his hands up again in defense, shrinking before the angry businessman.

"Okay." Grouse said, "This we can work with. I've got the beginnings of a plan. Rock, I'm gonna need your help."

Rock nodded and listened to the Mercenary's plan.

Chang received the call back, and the meeting was set up for the evening of the next day. The collection of Mercenaries, Pirates and others prepared for their move. It would have to go off without a hitch, if not, most of them would be dead within the week.

Rock found it extremely difficult to sleep, tossing and turning in anxiety over Revy's predicament. What was she thinking? She just went after Chang with no plan, no backup? It occurred to him that she may have gone after Chang because of him. She was always extremely defensive about him, no matter who it was she was defending him from. He remembered when she pointed her gun at Balalaika without hesitation in Japan. He supposed that meant he mattered more to her than anything else.

Of course, this only made him feel worse, as he considered himself responsible for her situation. Instead of sleeping, Rock spent the night making calls and pinning information on his wall, determined to find the best way to carry out tomorrow's objective.

Grouse also found himself unable to sleep. He considered the price of failure in this operation. He could not allow himself to fail, failing would take away the very reason he had entered this life. He'd found her again after all these years. He was going to save her this time.

Putting a tape into the player, Grouse sat on his bed, listening to the tranquil music.

_Blackbird singing in the dead of night_

_Take these broken wings and learn to fly_

_All your life,_

_You were only waiting for this moment to arise._

The next day, as the hour approached, Rock asked Ms. Balalaika if she could do him a favor. Disappearing for a while, Rock needed to make sure he would be ready for the negotiations to come. Grouse prepared himself as well, making sure his armor and weapons were in peak condition and swapping out the filters in his mask, in case of gas usage. As the minutes ticked past, Grouse, his guide the Fool, and several of his men headed towards the bunker. Taking up their positions, they waited for a signal from Balalaika's men to proceed.

Rock appeared at the meeting place, a restaurant on Chang's side of town, unusually dressed up. Instead of his simple shirt and tie, he wore a pristine dark gray suit. Roberta followed close behind, being the best choice to protect him while Revy was incarcerated. A cigarette hung in his mouth, and the look on his face was one of hard determination. Chang sat at the table, surrounded by his bodyguards. Once he spotted the Businessman, Chang waved, gesturing for Rock to take a seat as though nothing was wrong.

After the traditional pat-down by the bodyguards, during which Rock was glad he hadn't brought his gun, Rock sat down at the table across from Chang, Roberta standing at his right almost completely still, causing Rock to feel extremely cold compared to Revy. Chang paused and stared at the woman, possibly recognizing her, before simply brushing it off.

"So, my man," Chang said, "Where's our masked friend?"

"He was delayed," Rock said, extinguishing his cigarette. "He'll be here soon, and he sent me ahead to do the negotiating. It is my strong point, after all."

"Oh, I've got a little thing to show you." Chang said, pulling out a laptop and placing it on the table. A video played, and Rock was horrified and enraged by its contents. He saw Revy being beaten by several of Chang's subordinates. Chang made him watch the whole thing, telling him it was the punishment for trying to kill him.

_Blackbird singing in the dead of night_

_Take these sunken eyes and learn to see_

_All your life,_

_You were only waiting for this moment to be free._

Another one down, blood splattered everywhere as the lifeless corpse fell away from the Mercenary. Once the officer above had been taken out, the men inside the bunker were like fish in a barrel. Grouse led his men against the unaware gangsters, slaughtering nearly everyone in the complex.

The Fool danced on ahead, using his tonfa and concussion rounds to knock out those in his way, the only ones who would be spared. Kard used his weapons with great speed, delivering many blows to his enemy before they could even react, sometimes with bone-crushing force. Kard twirled the weapons in a circular pattern, taking down three enemies at once with a show of skill that impressed even the Mercenary.

One of the men however, wasn't fully subdued, standing once more and pointing a gun at the Fool's head. He yelled something in Chinese and Kard put his hands up before bringing them back down and firing the guns backwards, hitting the man with both rounds, blowing him back into the wall.

Looking around at all the unconscious bodies, Kard nodded contently, walking calmly out of the room, swinging his weapons like a child. He hummed a tune to himself as the gunshots continued to ring out throughout the bunker.

Revy heard them too, from her cell in the bunker's holding facility. The shots had woken her up, and a fresh pain from the beating she took washed over her as she sat up in the bed. Her guards were nervous, and the scent of blood had wafted into the cell. She grinned for a second, then scowled as she realized she _actually _needed to be rescued. She'd never hear the end of that one. Shaking her head and shifting in her restraints, Revy noticed as the guards ran to fight. Once they were out of sight, Revy heard six shots, two three-round bursts. She knew that sound well, and was greeted by the intimidating mask her friend wore.

"Ain't you a bit short for a stormtrooper?" She rasped out, before having a coughing fit.

Grouse was dumbstruck, off all the people, he never expected _her_ to make a Star Wars reference. He removed his mask, and began working on removing the restraints with the key he got from the dead guard.

"Where's… Rock?" Revy wheezed, as Grouse helped her to her feet.

"Stalling Chang, We've gotta get out of here so we can let him know you're safe." Grouse said, wrapping one of Revy's arms around him to support the Gunslinger.

At the entrance to the bunker, Grouse gave the care of Revy to his subordinates, and climbed out to give his negotiator a call. It was finally time to end this.

Roberta answered the phone, listening for a second or two before handing it to Rock. As soon as he heard the news, he broke out into a wide grin, a smile which, if you knew him well, you knew to fear. He burst out laughing, throwing his head back. Chang was somewhat perturbed, but he kept his cool.

"Something funny, my man?" He said, a hint of concern in his voice.

"Oh, nothing, just right now, you're got no power. There's nothing you can say or do to make things go your way now. It's not so much that it's funny, ah hell. It IS pretty funny to see you so completely powerless."

"Did you take something before we went to this meeting? I'm still one of the most powerful people in Roanapur. I'm still the head of the Triad here, and I've still got little Rebecca tucked away for safekeeping." Chang said, starting to get angry.

"Not anymore." Rock said, a smirk on his face as he nodded to Chang's bodyguards. One by one, they all turned, pointing their guns at their boss, who sat there, shocked at the turn of events. His mouth hung agape, and he tried to stutter out a response as Rock sat there, chuckling and lighting another cigarette.

"The Visitoniki and the Blackbirds are currently assaulting all your key locations as we speak. One of your mercenaries caught wind of where Revy was being held, and Grouse sprung her out. You're bargaining chip has flown the coop, I'm afraid. We'll be taking you to meet with the leaders of said Organizations now." Rock said, his eyes calm and focused, and his mouth in the smug grin he wore whenever a plan came to fruition.

Chang realized he was in a situation he could not escape from, and that made him angry. Rock had the bodyguards he'd paid off bring the Crime Boss to the docks where he and Balalaika had met up years ago.

Grouse brought Revy to the docks, waving to Rock. Balalaika was already on the scene, and had done her gloating to the captured Crime Boss. The overjoyed businessman ran to his partner, kissing and hugging the injured Gunslinger. The public affection irked her, and she made it known.

"Rock, would you stop?" She said, having regained a bit of her strength. "You're embarrassing me."

Grouse stood before Mr. Chang, both of their coats moving in the wind. Chang still had his former bodyguards pointing their guns at him, but Grouse gave them the order to stand down.

"You're the infamous Mr. Chang." Grouse said, "Nice to finally meet you. Sorry about the trouble to get you down here."

"I must say, I am impressed by what you've been doing. I assume this is going to me my last conversation?" Chang said, struggling to keep his cool.

"Not necessarily. Are you any good with a sword?" Grouse said, gesturing to one of his men to bring him something. Grouse pulled the katana out of the sheath, slamming it down into the wood of the dock, sticking it in front of Chang.

"I haven't fought anybody with a sword in a while. I wanna fight with a sword." Grouse said, unsheathing his sword, the blade springing out.

"Luckily for you," Chang said, as he grabbed the katana. "Swordfighting's one of my hobbies." He knew he had only one shot at surviving. Gripping the katana with both hands, Chang swung, initiating a series of parries and counterattacks with the Mercenary. Locking swords, he was pushed back. As Grouse kept his sword close for defense Chang swung with all the force he had, very luckily striking the folding sword in the joint, breaking it in two.

Grouse was surprised by the ferocity of the blow, and was knocked back by several more swipes. Grouse used his reinforced bracers to block the strikes, moving around unarmed and unable to draw his tanto in the flurry of attacks. Rolling to the left to dodge a downward swipe, Grouse managed to pull the large knife from its sheath. Now that he had something to attack with, Grouse went on the offensive, swiping at Chang in-between attacks. Not really able to get anywhere with the smaller blade, Grouse decided on a counterattack. He waited for Chang to stab, then grabbed and redirected the blade, stabbing at his enemy's chest. Chang managed to avoid the blade for the most part, but sustaining a cut across his shoulder. Chang came at him with everything he had, and managed to force the Mercenary to one knee. Chang had lost his cool, but had gotten overconfident.

"You know, you're just another punk." He gloated. "You come into my city and think what? You can just take over? No, sir. You're finished."

Chang went for the killing blow, but something unexpected happened. Taking the top half of the blade, Grouse drove the sharp piece of metal into Chang's neck. The Crime Boss dropped the sword, falling to his knees and bringing his hands to his neck.

"Ah, fuck." He said, pulling the blade out of his neck and falling to the ground. His famous sunglasses smashed on impact. Boss Chang was dead.


	11. All Over Now

Once the Triad soldiers heard the news, they lost hope. The Visitoniki and the Blackbirds quickly pushed them out of Roanapur for good, but quickly had to put down smaller organizations who sought to rise up in the power vacuum. While their forces held Roanapur together, the Warlord and the Mercenary, along with Lagoon, the Freelance Trio, and many other residents of the city of the dead held a funeral for the fallen Crime Boss.

As the casket was lowered into the ground, few shed tears. Shenhua wept for her fallen leader, friend, even lover at times. She wept alone, Lotton and Sawyer at her sides to comfort her. The other criminals shed no tears for him, knowing that he wouldn't have wanted it. Balalaika stood before the grave, stoic as ever, cigar hanging from her mouth as her coat and hair blew in the wind. Raising her hand to her forehead, she saluted the fallen man. While he wasn't one of her comrades, he was the closest friend she had in this city.

It was a small service, and the sadness was over quickly, replaced with a mood of celebration. The conflict was over. The Blackbirds, Lagoon, Roberta, and even some of the lower-ranked Visitoniki piled into the Yellow Flag to celebrate. Eda, of course, was there as well. The two leaders had returned to Hotel Moscow for a bit of celebrating on their own.

Rock and Revy decided to celebrate by having a drinking contest like they did years ago, when Rock first showed up. Rock meekly pretended to decline, before slamming his hand down on the bar, exclaiming:

"Never underestimate a Japanese businessman!" To the cheers of the other patrons.

After around twelve rounds, Revy ended up pinning Rock to the bar, kissing him wildly as the crowd cheered her on. Eda smirked to herself, happy that they had actually gotten together. Roberta did not participate in the revelry, instead keeping to the side and trying not to draw attention. She left the bar quickly, returning to the Lagoon Office where Garcia and Fabiola were waiting. She opened the door to the office, a warm smile growing on her face at the sight of the young man who had fallen asleep on the couch waiting for her.

"Despiertas, querido" Roberta said, gently moving Garcia's head so that she could sit down next to him. She enjoyed the feeling of his head resting on her arm for a short time before he shook off his slumber,

"Hello Roberta," he said, a sleepy smile present on his boyish face. Wrapping her arm around the young man, Roberta sighed, allowing herself to relax.

"The conflict is over." Roberta said. "We can go home as soon as you are ready."

Garcia nodded. Still groggy, he rested his head in the crook of Roberta's arm. "We should try to persuade David to return with us. I have no desire to stay in this city, but I would like to catch up with him. Was he enjoying the festivities?"

Roberta shook her head. "I believe he and the Russian woman went off on their own."

Garcia chuckled.

It was almost morning before the Lagoon crew returned to the office. Revy and Rock were both shit-faced beyond belief, but somehow still conscious. Eda returned with them, supporting the drunken Revy as they entered the office. Revy could not contain her drunken amusement and burst out laughing at the sight of Roberta, asleep curled around Garcia.

"Sheez huggin' him like a fucken teddy bear!" Revy slurred, cackling stupidly.

Roberta awoke, moving out of reflex and jostling Garcia awake. She glared angrily at the still laughing Gunslinger. Rock made some noise in response, and Dutch threw him into his chair, the Businessman landing face-first, slumping in an uncomfortable looking position.

"Where do you guys want her?" Eda asked, shifting Revy's weight to her other leg. Dutch motioned to the spare room, picking up the barely conscious Rock and moving him there as well. Garcia moved to warn them that Fabiola was currently occupying that room. A shriek and a half-dressed mini-maid came out instead, and the young man sighed as Fabiola let out a string of Spanish curses at the pirates.

Even after their unsuccessful attempt to kidnap him years ago, Lagoon Company seemed to be an alright group of people to Garcia. While no part of him would miss Roanapur, a little bit would miss them. After Eda left, followed by Dutch and Benny, Fabiola settled down into Rock's chair to sleep, Rock and Revy had passed out, and Roberta and Garcia fell asleep together once more.

Garcia and co. had planned to leave the next day, but something was off. Roberta was twitchy, and the city seemed more silent than usual. He knew David, and the man would never let them leave without saying goodbye, but he was nowhere to be found. Roberta wasn't the only one who was on edge. Revy, even with her massive hangover, could feel that something was wrong in the city. Through Revy, Rock could feel it as well. Her tension translated to worry for him, then turned into speculation about what could be so wrong. The group stood together outside the Lagoon Company's dock.

Dutch remained calm, trying to keep a level head. He knew what was coming. It would be any second now.

All at once, gunfire erupted over the city. The noise was terrible, causing the Maid and Gunslinger to draw their weapons and drop into a fighting stance. It seemed to go on for about 10 seconds continuously, then stop. The silence was heavy with apprehension, and the two women jumped at the sound of a car rolling up to them, but Revy quickly holstered her guns and advised Roberta to do the same when they saw who it was; Balalaika.

The scarred Warlord stepped out of the car, her face twisted in a scowl. She approached the group, walking slowly, something swinging in her left hand. Boris followed her on her right, a masked soldier on her left. She blew out smoke from her cigar, staring at nothing in particular.

She greeted the group almost warmly. She informed them that due to the change in Roanapur's leadership, there would no longer ne any need of the Lagoon Company, or any criminals other than Hotel Moscow. They had 48 hours to leave the city, or they would be considered enemies and killed. When asked by Roberta where Grouse was, Balalaika took another drag from her cigar, and threw the object she was carrying to the ground at their feet.

Grouse's broken mask clattered to the ground, missing an eye. Parts of it were burned, and the other eyehole's glass was cracked.

"He is no longer part of the picture." Balalaika said, grimly. "I do not wish to kill any one of you, but if you disobey, then you will leave me no choice. Good day."

Left stunned and afraid by the scarred woman's claim, the group returned inside, Roberta picking up Grouse's shattered mask and placing it on the coffee table in the office. For a long period, the group just stared at it. Dutch spoke up, breaking the silence.

"I knew this was going to happen." He said, solemnly. Every eye in the room was on him as he explained. "Balalaika and our late client seem to have had a disagreement on their plans for ruling the city. I tried to warn him that Balalaika wouldn't let anyone else be in control of the city. She'd kill anyone who tried."

Rock became nervous. He was conflicted, unsure of how to proceed now that the Mercenary was dead. He believed in what Grouse was doing, but now that the man was dead there was no way to see it through.

Revy caught on to her partner's apprehension, adding to her foul mood. She too, felt conflict. She was actually sad that Grouse was dead. She chuckled. Rock was having a bigger effect on her than she thought. The mask was positioned so that it was staring almost directly at her, the cracked glass of the remaining eye-hole reflecting the light.

"Fuck." Revy said, starting to get angry. "Dumbass had to get himself killed."

A few hours passed. The group decided what they would do. It was obvious they had to leave Roanapur, but deciding where to go was another issue. Dutch was in favor of packing up and heading out to sea before Balalaika decided to cut the deadline. Garcia, Roberta and Fabiola wanted to get back home, but getting out of Roanapur without Garcia and Fabiola being recognized would be a challenge. Dutch offered to take them along, saying they could get back home from wherever they went.

There was a knock on the door, answered by Rock. Eda stood at the door, a slumped over body supported on her shoulder.

"You guys lose something?" She said casually, dumping the bloodied and beaten man on the couch.

After studying the bloody face, Roberta was ecstatic to recognize the man as David Pierce.

"He's still alive," Eda said, "We found him before Sawyer got there, thank God. Dutch, you mind taking a couple more passengers out of this hellhole?"

"Why should I bring you along?" Dutch asked.

"'Cause I can get you to Uncle Sam with no trouble." She said.

Roberta's eyes widened as she recognized the woman's voice. She backed up Eda, and the Lagoon Crew, the Lovelace household, Eda and Grouse boarded the boat quickly.

"What about Grouse's Mercs?" Rock asked.

"Most are dead. Those that aren't joined up with Fry-face." Eda said, and they were off, speeding across the Pacific towards the USA.

"I understand, Ma'am. I will inform her at once." Boris said, hanging up the phone. Approaching his Kapitan, he informed her that when Sawyer arrived, the Mercenary's body was gone. A cigar hung about to be lit from her mouth as she received the news. Putting down the lighter and taking the cigar out of her mouth, she sighed.

"So he might not be dead?" She asked the Lieutenant.

"It's very unlikely that he's still alive, but there's a slim chance. The tapes were destroyed, at your request."

The Warlord dismissed Boris, bringing a hand to her mouth and shuddering.

_What have I done?_


	12. Miss America

Eda appeared from one of the bunks dressed in much more professional attire. Not even wearing her sunglasses, she stepped out into the main are of the ship, where she told the group that she was going to get them to safety. Revy was confused by her friend's change in behavior and attire, but Roberta already knew, and Rock figured it out quickly.

"You're a US agent." He said, smirking slightly at having figured it out. Eda nodded.

"CIA, I believe." Roberta added.

"Why are you letting us into the US?" Rock asked.

"Part of Grouse's plan. He said if he was taken out, I was to get you all out and request an airstrike to level Roanapur. Balalaika taking over was exactly the opposite of what he wanted."

"Did he think he could run the city himself?" Revy asked, still confused and angry at her friend's deception.

"No. He planned for someone else to run it."

"Who?"

"You, Rocky-boy," The agent said, giving the Businessman a small smile.

Rock stepped backward, shocked and confused by the revelation. Grouse wanted him to rule Roanapur? Why the hell did Grouse think he was a suitable candidate for being in charge of the City of the Dead? Then again, if he was in charge, he could make thing work the way _he_ wanted them to. He could be there to step in before the killing started, and be an arbiter between the factions to prevent any undue bloodshed.

Rock mulled over the news, pacing back and forth, weighing the pros and cons. But he realized that none of it would matter.

"Did you say airstrike?" Rock asked.

"Yeah. He said that if he was unable to install you as the head honcho, Uncle Sam's supposed to level the place."

"You can't do that!" Rock yelled, his emotions starting to get the better of him

"Oh yeah, why the hell can't I!" Eda yelled back, although she was somehow less intimidating without her glasses.

Rock's outburst faded, and he adopted a colder demeanor. "If you do that, then every criminal organization that was based there will be looking for somewhere else to call home. What country has the highest crime rate in the world?"

Eda grimaced. As much as she hated to admit, Rock was right. If Roanapur dies, then all the criminal scum from that hellhole will settle down in America, a country with a huge crime problem already. She couldn't let that happen.

"You got a better plan, Rocky-boy?" Eda said through gritted teeth.

"As a matter of fact, I think I might." Rock said, smirking.

Entering the United States was no problem with Eda's help. Grouse was rushed to a hospital, where he laid unconscious, his mind trapped in an endless horror.

_He wasn't in any place he'd been before, but it still seemed oddly familiar. It was a very long hallway, with doors at even intervals along each wall. The walls themselves were covered in tacky wallpaper, and the floor with old carpet. The scenery reminded him of a hotel. He looked behind him, the hallway extended further than he could see in that direction. Looking forward, he saw the hallway ended in a turn not too far away._

_Deciding to go that way, He started down the hall. Rounding the corner up ahead, he was startled at the appearance of someone else in the hall._

_She wore a leather jacket over her hoodie, and ripped, faded jeans. A bandage covered a wound on her cheek. Her messy, dark red hair fell in front of her eyes, but it didn't cover them up. He could see them clear as day. The girl before him had no life in her eyes._

"_Becky?" He asked, looking down at the small girl before him. She looked up at him, her face unchanging, that blank, unfocused stare burning into him. He knew something was wrong. This wasn't the Rebecca he knew._

Revy kicked the couch in the hotel room where they were staying. She'd had time to think about what Eda being CIA meant. It was basically a betrayal. Revy had probably given that bitch a lot of info when they talked.

"Fuck!" she yelled, kicking the couch again one last time. Rock watched her outburst from the window, still deep in thought about how everything would play out from now on. He could anticipate what would happen next, if what he knew about Dutch proved to be correct.

"Revy, do you remember what you said to me, when we were in Japan?" He said, as his partner plopped down on the couch, crossing her arms.

"No. What did I say, Rock?" she hissed, still very angry over Eda's revelation.

"That I didn't belong in Roanapur. That I wasn't fit for the world of the night."

Revy raised a brow, wary that her partner was about to start one of his melancholy speeches that usually happened when things went south.

"But what if…" He said, getting up, "What if this is a chance to make Roanapur somewhere I belong?"

"What do you mean?"

"There's no balance of power anymore. Hotel Moscow has total control, but that won't last for long. They'll probably set up some kind of regime, be very up-front with letting everyone know they are in charge. But that's not the way it works." He started, his eyes getting that fierce gleam that came when he had worked everything out. "Smaller groups will want to challenge them, and no matter how good they are, no one lives forever."

The delivery of those four little words made Revy feel something she hadn't felt in years. She was afraid. She was _afraid_ of Rokuro Okajima. Even more outrageous, she was afraid of _him._

"Rock…" She started, readying herself to snap him out of it if he got too far.

"Let me finish." He asked, before starting again. "They aren't settled into full power yet. If we take them down while they are still adjusting, then we can assume control of Roanapur for ourselves."

Revy took a step back, what Rock was suggesting was downright suicidal. "You realize how fuckin' crazy that sounds, right?" She scoffed. "You're talking about taking on Hotel Moscow, do you realize that?"

"Revy, I've thought this over. Believe me, if I didn't think it would work I would never have said it."

The Businessman stood up from the window, moving towards the seething Gunslinger.

"But we can take the city for our own. Make it a place where we live by our rules, and no one else's. Can you imagine? It could all be ours."

Revy leaned back on the couch, lighting up a cigarette. She couldn't lie, she had thought about what life would be like on top. No more killing for the next meal. No more stealing out of need. Hell, what criminal in that godforsaken city _hadn't _thought of taking control. But thoughts like that got you killed. Then again, they were looking at backup from Uncle Sam. Revy had overheard Rock's discussion with Eda, and they were looking at a large strike force to secure the city. Maybe their odds weren't so bad, considering how the Gray Fox had managed to fare against their hunters. Hell, they even had the maid. Revy looked her partner dead in the eyes, and she didn't see the Businessman. No, she saw those hooded eyes, the beginnings of that smirk that belonged to a mastermind.

She threw the smoldering remains of her cigarette into the ashtray, standing and facing Rock.

"Well then, Rocky baby." She said, flashing a grin of sharp teeth, "Let's paint that fucking town red."

_He ran, dragging Becky by the arm through the endless hallway. Why the fuck didn't the hallway end? He panted, out of breath, slowing to a halt as he ran out of energy. He wondered if any of the doors would open, if any of them would lead to safety. But they were all locked, every single one of them. That is, until he found one particular door. 217 was the number. He'd seen it somewhere before. Opening it up, he was greeted by another hallway, identical to the one he had just left._

_ But there was someone at the end of the hall. Hand in hand, dressed in matching, dark green outfits and silver hair, they stood before him._

_ "Will you play with us?" they said._

_ He ran the other way, yanking Becky in the opposite direction._

Dutch set another crate down in the hold. _That should about do it._ Wiping the dirt off his hands, he left the hold, walking onto the deck of the ship. Rock waited at the edge of the dock, cigarette hanging from his mouth. Dutch could see he'd changed a lot in the past few weeks. He'd chosen to wear a black coat and a pair of shades. Dutch chuckled. Sonofabitch was turning into quite the replacement for Chang.

"Well Rock my man, looks like this is it." Dutch said, arms crossed.

Rock took the cigarette out of his mouth, blowing smoke. "Sure I can't convince you and Benny to stay? After it's all over, things could go back to the way they were."

"That's where you're wrong, man. Everything's different now. You and Revy, you're different. Dangerous. I'm not saying anything against you, but my experience is telling me to stay the hell away from that city while I can. Hell, I've been in this business for ten years, man. I just might throw in the towel."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Rock said, taking another drag of his cigarette. "You've been a good friend, Dutch. You taught me a lot about surviving in this world. I owe you my life."

"C'mon kid it aint that big a deal."

"Revy would have blown my head within ten seconds if it weren't for you." Rock said dryly.

Dutch shrugged, recognizing the point Rock made.

The Lagoon shipped off that night, disappearing into the dark. Rock and Revy stood on the dock, watching the ship leave for the last time.


	13. Public Enemy No 1

The preparations for the invasion of Roanapur happened mainly away from Rock and Revy, but they were told the whole plan. Revy was given command of a strike team, a mix of soldiers young and old who were best compatible with her "personality". Roberta was given command of an arguably more professional group, which fit her better as well. Rock sat in his dark room, poring over books on tactics by the light of the desk lamp, as he was one of the people in charge of the whole force.

He threw the latest book away, nothing in it would help him in dealing with the gangs of Roanapur. He lit a cigarette, blowing smoke up into the air. He leaned back, rubbing his eyes. He looked over to see Revy's silhouette standing in the doorway.

"What are you thinking?" She asked him, sitting down on the bed behind him.

"I'm thinking we're gonna take the city, but in doing so will lose around 50% of our fighting force. And that's if we're careful. They just aren't accustomed to the area. It'd take too long to teach the soldiers to think like criminals."

"Shit, Rock. Eda's never gonna go for a plan with that high of a mortality rate." Revy said, as Rock turned to face her. "How are you gonna pull this off?"

"We'll give her a more optimistic number. Say 20%. We need this to work. We've got no other options." Rock said. "Wait… I've got an idea."

Rock stood, extinguishing his cigarette. "We can't just waltz up to the Bridge as a unit. We need to start sending people in now. Small groups, under the radar. Sneak past the defenses, and attack from within. Maybe three or four strike teams behind enemy lines, while the main force distracts them. The strike teams will open up the gates for the main force. That's how we'll do it."

"Fucking finally!" Revy said, getting up from the bed. "We're gonna see some action again! Let's get our asses out there and fuck 'em up!"

"You know I'm gonna worry about you out there, right?" Rock said.

Revy rolled her eyes. "You know I ain't gonna buy it out there." She said, grabbing his collar and pulling him close, being face to face with him. "I got shit to come back to now. You think I'm gonna let something kill me now? Fat fuckin' chance."

Revy let go of his collar, pushing him away. She left him to his books, shaking her head as she walked out into the hall.

_Those… THINGS had stopped chasing him for now. He and Becky stood in front of a mirror. He saw a face, battered and bloodied. That couldn't be his face could it? As he reached out to touch the mirror, it cracked. The right side of his face became deformed, a huge burn scar present. He recognized that the eye wasn't his. The sight of her filled him with rage. Suddenly it wasn't a mirror anymore, and she was standing right in front of him. He let go of Becky's hand, tackling his betrayer and pounding her with his fists like an animal._

_ After he had beaten the woman to a pulp, _he woke up with one thing on his mind.

"Gonna… KILL her…" He mumbled through gritted teeth, ripping out the IV.

Roberta turned on the news. She wanted to return home, but her concern for David and Garcia's insistence made them stay. She sat on one of the beds in their hotel room, staring down at her right hand, on which she had lost her pinky and ring fingers. The sight reminded her of her battle with the Gray Fox unit, and the carnage she wrought across Roanapur. She had been the one who taught David, so she couldn't help but wonder if she'd passed on the monster she was to him. She didn't have to wait long for an answer.

"We've just received breaking news. An escaped hospital patient has gone on a rampage, leaving 12 grievously injured. He was last seen heading towards the docks."

Roberta stood up, her hand covering her mouth in shock. She had to warn the others. Jumping in her car and driving towards them, Roberta realized she unleashed a monster just like her on Roanapur.

A/n – Hello! It's been a while since I've updated this story, so I wanted to give this little chapter to start things up again before we get into the finale. Leave a review telling me what you think of it!

-Rex


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